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Pointers Defeat
John Carroll to Reach NCAA Title Game
Box Score
Exactly 20 years after playing for its only men�s basketball
national championship, UW-Stevens Point will get another chance after
rolling past John Carroll (Ohio) 87-62 on Friday in the NCAA Division III
semifinals in Salem, Va.
The Pointers are now 28-5 overall and will take on defending national
champion Williams (Mass.), which defeated Amherst (Mass.) 86-81 in the other
semifinal. UW-Stevens Point�s only other national championship opportunity
came when it lost to Fort Hays State (Kan.) 48-46 in the NAIA title game on
March 20, 1984.
Freshman Jon Krull scored 25 points, bettering his previous career
high by 10 points, to lead the Pointers. Junior Nick Bennett added 20
points, but suffered a knee injury in the final minutes of the game and did
not return. He is questionable for Saturday�s championship game.
�We�re very grateful to be this far,� Pointers� coach Jack
Bennett said. �About three and a half weeks ago, we had a chance to win
our fifth straight conference championship and lost (to UW-Superior). The
seeds of what we�re doing now came in those two days we had to prepare for
that same team in the first round of our conference tournament. We were able
to win that game and I thought I saw us starting to come back.�
UW-Stevens Point continued its hot shooting throughout the postseason
by shooting 54.7 percent from the field and nine-for-16 from three-point
range. The Pointers are shooting 57.4 percent in their five NCAA tournament
games and have connected on at least 53 percent of their shots in six
straight games. Possibly the only negative for UW-Stevens Point was a
season-high 16 turnovers.
John Carroll got off to a quick start as Jerry Angel hit two three
pointers in the first minute for a 6-0 lead. However, the Pointers used two
three-pointers from Jason Kalsow to tie the game at 8-8 and, after trailing
13-12 with 11:31 left in the first half, they went on a 10-0 run over the
next five minutes. John Carroll cut the lead to 22-19, but the Pointers used
an 11-0 run and took a 42-24 lead into halftime.
Krull had 17 of his points in the second half as the Pointers led by
at least 12 points throughout the final 20 minutes of the game. Kalsow
finished with 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.
Angel had 19 points and David Gibbons added 17 points for the Blue
Streaks, who are now 26-6 and will play Amherst for third place.
The main concern for the Pointers before the start of Saturday�s
championship game will be the health of Nick Bennett, who says he�s not
missing the national title game.
�It feels all right. I think it�s just a bruise,� he said. �I
got caught sideways and just got hit. We have one game left and this is my
dream to always play in the national championship game.�
�That�s youthful exuberance,� his father added. �If it�s
just a bruise and hopefully that�s all, it will just be painful. This is
going to be an opportunity for some other guys to have their moment in the
sun and step up.�
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