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Pointers Regroup
Against Yellowjackets to Reach WIAC Semifinals
Box Score
Just three days after suffering a heartbreaking
loss to UW-Superior that cost UW-Stevens Point its fifth straight Wisconsin
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship, the Pointers regrouped on
Tuesday to post an 83-73 win over the Yellowjackets in the quarterfinals of
the WIAC tournament.
UW-Stevens Point advances to the semifinals for
the third straight year and will face a rematch from last year�s semifinals
with UW-Oshkosh on Thursday at 7 p.m. The sixth-seeded Titans won at
third-seeded UW-Whitewater 52-49 on Tuesday and beat the Pointers 62-57 in
the semifinals last year. UW-Stevens Point is the tournament�s second seed
and has already beaten UW-Oshkosh three times this season as the teams also
played in the title game of the Las Vegas tournament in December. The
Pointers are now 21-5 overall and ranked 14th in the NCAA Division III
rankings.
After shooting just 32 percent in a 61-52 loss to
UW-Superior on Saturday, the Pointers came out and drained their first three
shots to open up a 7-0 lead in Tuesday�s game. The Yellowjackets then went
on a 14-2 run to lead 14-9 with 13:47 left in the first half, but UW-Stevens
Point made six of its next eight shots and scored 17 straight points over
the next 5:20 to lead 26-14.
The Pointers shot 52 percent for the game, hitting
the same mark in both halves. UW-Superior closed to within seven points at
halftime as Cody Kastern drained one of the team�s 11 three-pointers in the
game with 19 seconds left in the half to cut the lead to 36-29.
The Yellowjackets scored the first basket of the
second to cut the lead to five, but Nick Bennett hit a three-pointer on the
Pointers� next possession and UW-Superior came no closer.
UW-Stevens Point led by as many as 19 with a 67-48
lead with 4:49 left. However, the Yellowjackets made five straight shots and
trimmed the lead to 73-66 with 1:15 left before the Pointers were finally
able to put the game away. Laron Reed had 13 of his game-high 25 points in
the final 2:23 of the game. The teams combined for 39 points in the final
four minutes and the 73 points was the most allowed by the Pointers this
season.
Jason Kalsow had 18 points, including 13 in the
second half for the Pointers. Jon Krull had a career-high 14 points after
scoring 12 for the Pointers on Saturday. Marc Rothschadl added 17 for the
Yellowjackets, who ended the season 12-14 overall. |
