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Pointers Win Home
Opener
by Scott Williams
Stevens Point Journal
Original Article
Box Score
STEVENS POINT - The
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men's basketball team unveiled its
2004 national championship banner Saturday night.
More performances like the one the Pointers turned in against Ripon College,
and the search will soon be on for more wall space at the Quandt Fieldhouse.
Jason Kalsow scored a team-high 14 points and 13 of the 15 players on the
UWSP roster scored as the top-ranked Pointers dismantled the Red Hawks 75-53
in nonconference action in its home opener.
"Point plays so well together as a team," Ripon coach Bob Gillespie said.
"All I can do is compliment Stevens Point. Point gave us a lesson tonight."
Coming off a 24-point win over UW-La Crosse the night before, the Red Hawks
(3-1) entertained thoughts of a monumental upset.
With that in mind, the Red Hawks did their best to keep the Pointers' lethal
1-2 punch of Nick Bennett and Kalsow in check.
Gillespie can applaud his team for a job well done, as Kalsow and Bennett,
who struggled through a 3-for-9 shooting night for 10 points, were each held
well below their season averages.
"What we tried to do was not give up 60 points to those two kids," Gillespie
said. "Our mind was willing, but our spirit was weak."
So Eric Maus, and the rest of the so-called role players, served notice that
the Pointers are more than a two-player team.
Maus, a 6-foot-9 senior center, outhustled every Ripon player on the floor
to chip in with 10 points, five assists and a steal.
Meanwhile, Jon Krull handled the heavy lifting with a game-high seven
rebounds to go with eight points. Brian Bauer came off the bench to
contribute seven points, hitting 3 of 4 shots from the field.
"I think we're all better off when we have more balance, because that makes
it tougher to stop us," Maus said. "Coach (Jack Bennett) has stressed that
from the start.
"And the thing about those two guys (Bennett and Kalsow) is they're great
passers. When they get double-teamed, we have to make sure we find the open
spots."
The Pointers (4-0) had a tough time shaking the Red Hawks until an 8-0 run
to close out the opening half gave the Pointers a 32-18 lead at the break.
That would be the beginning of the end for Ripon.
A 19-2 spurt early in the second half sent UWSP well on its way to its 39th
straight regular-season win over a nonconference opponent. The advantage
grew to as much as 31 points at 74-43 with 2:01 remaining.
"I was anxious to see how much energy and fire we would come out with at
home," Bennett said. "I thought the way we played is the way the game should
be played."
The victory was important for the Pointers coach on a number of fronts.
Bennett passed his brother Dick for second place on the all-time coaches win
list at the school. He now has 175, behind only Hale Quandt.
In addition, Ripon is the alma mater of Jack Bennett, who graduated from the
school in 1971. He was offered the coaching job at Ripon in 1980 but turned
it down.
Gillespie, who coached at Wausau Newman at the time, eventually landed the
Red Hawks position.
"The school was very good to me and means a lot to my family. It's the home
of my wife," Jack Bennett said. "To be honest, I wanted us to look good
against them. I have a lot of respect for their coach and program."
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