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Pointers Come Up
Aces in Rematch with Pioneers
By Jerry Rhoden
Central Wisconsin Sunday
Original
Article
Box Score
STEVENS POINT - The Pointers shuffled their lineup and
laid down a straight flush as the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men
rode a big early game run to a 69-51 win over UW-Platteville on Saturday.
On Alumni Night, Pointers dating back to 1947 looked on from the sidelines.
They saw a present-day lineup featuring a pair of juniors in Nick Bennett
and Jason Kalsow, who scored 18 and 16 points respectively, and a freshman
who contributed nine points and provided a surprising boost in his first
collegiate start in Jon Krull. Sophomore Brian Bauer added 11 points.
The Pointers (17-4, 8-4 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)
presented the Pioneers (14-8, 8-5 WIAC) with an entanglement of hands early
on, forcing three turnovers in the first six minutes and holding Platteville
guards Brad Reitzner and Frank McGettigan to four points and none,
respectively. The pair had combined for 42 points in Platteville's 63-60 win
Jan. 7.
"There's the game," said UWSP coach Jack Bennett, whose Pointers
will visit league-leading Whitewater on Tuesday with a chance to pull to
within one game of tying for the lead. "Defensively, we were smart and
aggressive. Offensively, we were sound with the ball and moved crisply. Jon
Krull and Tamaris (Relerford) gave us a pretty good lfit at the start, and
the bench played well."
Several aspects of the Pointers' game appeared to be in
synch as the team started the game with a 21-2 run and ended up shooting 53
percent from the floor (26-of-49) and lending 13 assists while turning the
ball over just eight times. Platteville finished with 13 of each while going
17-of-41 from the field. In their first meeting, Platteville visited the
foul line 25 times; the Pointers just four. Platteville was 15-of-20 at the
line Saturday, while the Pointers were 12-of-16.
"We came out a little flat," first-year Platteville coach Paul
Combs said. "The shots we needed to fall, didn't." Krull's
shadowing of McGettigan had a lot to do with that.
"At Platteville, he hit a couple of shots early," Krull said.
"I tried to throw him off rhythm. I just tried to stay in his hip
pocket off screens." And the hip bone may have been connected to
McGettigan's head.
"Frank's been a streaky shooter all season," said Combs, whose
squad was led by Brandon Temperly's 21 points, Luke Jones' 12 and LeVon
Crawford's second-half 10. "Like any streaky shooter, when (McGettigan)
missed five in a row, he struggled with his confidence." The Pointers
had no such issue, for the most part shying away from little.
"Down there, we were in our NBA offense," Nick Bennett said.
"Throw it in to Kalsow, and hope they double him. ... We were the
aggressor tonight."
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