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Pointers Advance
to WIAC Finals in Thrilling Win
Box Score
Meeting for the 10th time in three years and
second time in six days, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Oshkosh saved the best for
last.
The teams put on a classic showdown in the
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference semifinals Thursday at the
Quandt Fieldhouse with the Pointers outlasting the Titans for a thrilling
65-59 victory. It was the third straight year the teams have played in the
league semifinals in Stevens Point.
The Pointers advance to host the WIAC tournament
title game for the second straight year on Saturday at 7 p.m. against
UW-Whitewater, which knocked off top-seeded UW-Platteville 89-76. UW-Stevens
Point is now 22-3 and ranked third nationally, while UW-Oshkosh ends the
season 19-8 and is ranked 25th.
Both teams hit one clutch shot after another as
neither held bigger than a four-point lead in the last 16:52 of the game
until a pair of free throws in the final seconds accounted for the final
score. The game was reminiscent of several that UW-Stevens Point played in
the postseason on the way to winning last season�s NCAA Division III
championship.
�That was a heck of a game and worthy of final
four caliber,� Pointers� coach Jack Bennett said. �They made plays, we made
plays, there was great defense and big shots.�
�You can sum up the game by looking at their
reaction,� UW-Oshkosh coach Ted Van Dellen said. �When the buzzer sounded,
Point looked a lot like they did last year when they won the national
championship. I told our guys that�s a lot of respect for what they did
tonight.�
After a somewhat sluggish first half that saw the
Pointers hold a 23-18 halftime lead and limit the Titans to 29.6 percent
shooting, the teams and intensity heated up after halftime. The best stretch
of the game started at the 8:56 mark of the second half when UW-Stevens
Point�s Tamaris Relerford drained a three-pointer from the corner for a
39-37 lead, sparking an extraordinary flurry of five straight three-pointers
over a 1:24 span.
Andy Fernholz answered with a three-pointer for
the Titans and Bennett followed with a three on the other end. Then it was
Andy Jahnke from deep behind the three-point line and Bennett hit a
closely-guarded bomb to put the Pointers back ahead 45-43.
The teams moved inside and continued to trade
blows, settling into their sixth tie of the second half at 55-55 with 3:28
left. UW-Stevens Point missed a three-pointer on its possession, but Kyle
Grusczynski swiped the ball on the Titans� possession and passed ahead to
Tamaris Relerford for an uncontested layup, giving the Pointers a 57-55 lead
with 2:27 left.
The Titans pounded the ball into seven-footer
Gibson to try to tie the game, but he missed an inside shot and Bennett
pulled down the rebound. Bennett was fouled away from the ball on the other
end and made two free throws for a four-point lead, however, Gibson followed
with a dunk set up by penetration by Jahnke to cut the lead to 59-57 with
1:25 left.
Bennett missed a three-pointer on the next
possession, but Grusczynski came flying into the lane from the perimeter to
retrieve the miss and keep the possession alive. Kalsow was then fouled with
46 seconds left and made both free throws for a 61-57 lead.
�This team isn�t just Jason (Kalsow) and me,� said
Bennett, who poured in 28 points and surpassed the 1,500-point mark in the
first half. �Kyle Grusczynski made the play of the game with that offensive
rebound.�
UW-Oshkosh�s Chad Doedens drove the length of the
court and scored a quick layup to trim the lead back to two points and the
Titans chose not to foul the Pointers, who ran the shot clock down before
Kalsow found Maus under the basket for an easy layup with 14 seconds left.
The Titans missed a three-pointer at the other end
and Bennett hit two free throws with 2.6 seconds left to finish off the
game.
�You expect players to make plays,� Jack Bennett
said. �That�s where our tournament experience from last year helped us.�
Nick Bennett hit four three-pointers and was
eight-for-eight from the line. Kalsow added 12 points and Maus had 10
points, all in the second half while guarding Gibson and playing much of the
period with three fouls. The Pointers made 20 of 22 free throws, including
all 17 attempts in the second half.
Jahnke led the Titans with 15 points, while
Capelle and Gibson each scored 13 points. |
