|
Bennett Leads
Pointers to Victory in NCAA Opener
Box Score
Nick Bennett picked up where he left off last
season for the UW-Stevens Point men�s basketball team, pouring in 23 points
on red-hot shooting as the Pointers opened defense of their NCAA Division
III championship with a 79-45 win over Lawrence Saturday in Stevens Point.
Last season�s championship MVP scored 16 of the
team�s first 25 points as the Pointers built a 10-point halftime lead and
then used a 17-0 run early in the second half for their largest postseason
win ever. The game was a rematch of last season�s sectional final when the
Pointers beat the Vikings 82-81 in overtime.
UW-Stevens Point is now 25-3 and the top-ranked
team in Division III by D3hoops.com. The Pointers advance to the sectional
to face either Puget Sound (Wash.) or Buena Vista (Iowa) on Friday. Site and
time will be determined on Sunday.
The game opened much like last year�s showdown
with both teams shooting well from the field in a back and forth battle.
Bennett hit his first four shots and had 10 points in the first 7:10 of the
game before the Vikings took a one-point lead at 18-17 with 11:18 left in
the first half. UW-Stevens Point turned up the defense from that point,
holding the Vikings scoreless during a 10-0 run over the next 5:15 and
without a field goal until a three-pointer by Dan Evans pulled Lawrence to
within 30-23 with 3:23 left in the half.
A signature play of the game came at the end of
the first half when the sellout crowd of 2,815 came to its feet and Lawrence
was unable to get a shot attempt before the buzzer sounded.
�That was a big play at the end of the first
half,� Pointers� coach Jack Bennett said. �That hurts the psyche and I�ll
give our crowd credit on that. These last four games have been incredible
atmospheres that a lot of D-I�s would give their right hand for.�
UW-Stevens Point carried the momentum into the
second half, hitting its first five shots and eight of its first 11 to build
a 60-31 advantage with 12:35 left in the game. Bennett started the 17-0
spurt with a layup, but didn�t score again in the stretch until a
three-pointer made it 59-31.
�I knew Lawrence would come out emotional,�
Bennett said. �I thought if we got them in the second half on their heels,
they would wear down and that�s what happened.�
�That second half we were really clicking
offensively,� Nick Bennett said. �I think that translated into us playing
better on defense.�
The Pointers smothered the Vikings in the second
half, holding them to 26.3 percent shooting and 36.8 percent in the second
half. Meanwhile, UW-Stevens Point shot 58.3 percent after halftime and 54.2
percent for the game.
�We were just a step behind everything
defensively,� said Vikings� coach John Tharp, whose 13th-ranked team ended
the year 20-6 and defeated Gustavus Adolphus on the road in the opening
round. �Part of that was Thursday night and part of it was Stevens Point.
The shame of it for me is I didn�t think we played the way we�re capable of
playing.�
�I think last year our game with them got our
attention,� Jack Bennett said. �I thought we were 100 percent better
defensively tonight.�
Jason Kalsow added 15 points, eight rebounds and
five assists, while Jon Krull scored 13 points for UW-Stevens Point. Evans
scored 10 points and Brendan Falls had nine for the Vikings. |
