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Pointers Beat
Titans For Fourth Time and Advance to WIAC Finals
Box Score
UW-Stevens Point will make its first Wisconsin
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men�s basketball tournament championship
game appearance since 2000 after posting a 70-59 win over UW-Oshkosh on
Thursday night, snapping the Titans� string of three straight title game
appearances.
The second-seeded Pointers are now 22-5 overall
and will host fourth-seeded UW-Platteville in a doubleheader with the
UW-Stevens Point women�s basketball team, which will host UW-Oshkosh in the
women�s title game. UW-Stevens Point�s men had lost in the semifinals the
past two years, including last year to UW-Oshkosh, and won its only finals
appearance by beating UW-Eau Claire in 2000.
The win for UW-Stevens Point was its fourth this
season over UW-Oshkosh. It was the second time the Pointers have ever played
a team four times, splitting four meetings with UW-Eau Claire in 2000, while
the Titans had never played a team four times in a season. In addition to
the two regular season conference meetings, the teams played in the Las
Vegas tournament title game.
The Titans were the two-time
defending tournament champions and had a seven-game tournament winning
streak snapped. In fact, they had won nine of their previous 10 tournament
contests.
UW-Oshkosh got out to a strong start, taking an
8-1 lead five and a half minutes into the game before Jason Kalsow hit
back-to-back baskets to start and eight-point UW-Stevens Point run. The
Titans went five minutes without scoring during that stretch and had another
five-minute dry spell later in the half as the Pointers went on a 10-0 spurt
for a 25-15 lead with 2:39 left.
UW-Oshkosh�s Jim Capelle drained a three-pointer
at the first half buzzer to pull the Titans within 27-21 and the UW-Oshkosh
climbed back within two points at 33-31 with 16:33 left. However, the
Pointers scored six straight points as the Titans missed six straight shots
and the Pointers held at least a six-point lead the rest of the game.
The biggest blow to the Titans� comeback came with
inside nine minutes left when Pointers� senior Neal Krajnik drained
back-to-back three-pointers to give the Pointers a 50-35 lead with 8:13
left. UW-Oshkosh was red-hot in the closing minutes, draining six of its
final eight shots, but the Pointers made 11 of their last 12 free throws to
seal the game. UW-Stevens Point scored its final 15 points from the free
throw line and made its final field goal with 6:31 left. The Pointers
attempted just one field goal in the last 5:25 of the game.
Nick Bennett scored 14 of his team-high 17 points
in the second half for the Pointers and was nine-for-10 from the free throw
line in the final five minutes. Krajnik had a season-high 16 points and
freshman Jon Krull had a career-high game for the third straight outing with
15 points.
Capelle led the Titans with 17 points and Andy
Fernholz had 16 points as UW-Oshkosh finished its season 14-13. |
