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Pointers Drop
Heartbreaker to UW-Whitewater
Box Score
Mike Toellner hit two free throws with 2.7 seconds
left to lift 14th-ranked UW-Whitewater to a 71-69 victory over sixth-ranked
UW-Stevens Point on Wednesday and force a five-way tie atop the Wisconsin
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men�s basketball race.
The Warhawks snapped the Pointers� 22-game regular
season home winning streak and forced a tie with UW-Stevens Point,
UW-Oshkosh, UW-River Falls and UW-Stout with 4-2 records.
Toellner went to the line after rebounding one of
UW-Whitewater�s rare missed shots on the night. With the game tied at 69-69,
Warhawks� guard Matt Jones missed a driving layup and Toellner grabbed the
rebound. UW-Whitewater shot a sizzling 63.2 percent for the game, hitting 65
percent in the first half and 61.1 percent in the second half.
UW-Stevens Point had a chance to win the game on
the final possession as Nick Bennett had an open shot from 25 feet fall just
short at the buzzer. Just 19 seconds earlier, Bennett hit three straight
free throws to tie the game at 69-69 when he was fouled on a three-point
shot.
The game featured several big runs from the very
beginning. UW-Whitewater opened the game by hitting 10 of its first 12 shots
and building a 27-18 lead. However, the Pointers used a 15-0 run late in the
half to take a 39-33 halftime lead.
UW-Whitewater started the second half much like
the first, hitting eight of its first 10 shots and going on a 16-2 run to
open up a 56-45 lead with 10:34 left. UW-Stevens Point then scored on seven
of its next eight possessions and took a 58-57 lead with 6:30 remaining.
From that point, the game was tied four times and
had five lead changes with the biggest lead coming when the Warhawks led
65-61 with 2:29 left. However, Bennett drained a three-pointer with two
minutes left to pull the Pointers back to within one point. UW-Stevens
Point�s Neal Krajnik forced a held ball on the Warhawks� next possession and
the Pointers took the lead at 66-65 on a layup by Jason Kalsow with 1:20
left. UW-Whitewater regained the lead just 19 seconds later when Jones
scored on a layup and was fouled for a 68-66 lead.
UW-Stevens Point�s Kyle Grusczynski missed a
three-pointer from the corner on the Pointers� next possession and Jones
made one of two free throws with 33 seconds left for a 69-66 Warhawks� lead
before Bennett made the three free throws with 19 seconds left to tie the
game.
Jones led all scorers with 18 points, while Kalsow
had 17 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Pointers. UW-Stevens
Point committed just eight turnovers, but had a season-high 20 fouls. |
