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Pointers Roll Past Rochester for Second Straight
National Title
Box Score
UW-Stevens Point capped off one of the most
impressive postseason runs in NCAA Division III men�s basketball tournament
history with the largest margin of victory in a national championship game,
rolling past Rochester 73-49 to become the third school in Division III
history to win back-to-back titles.
The win was custom of the Pointers� entire season
that saw them win all but one of their 29 victories by six points or more.
In fact, UW-Stevens Point�s five tournament victories came by an average of
21.0 points per game.
The Pointers matched last year�s school record for
wins with a 29-3 record and the win was also the 200th career victory in
just nine seasons for coach Jack Bennett. UW-Stevens Point is the first
repeat champion since UW-Platteville in 1998-99. North Park won three
straight titles from 1978-80.
�It wasn�t as dramatic as last year, but it was
just as sweet,� said Bennett, whose team used a last-second shot to win last
year�s game 84-82 over Williams (Mass.). �This was a close game at halftime
and we just played an outstanding second half.�
Both teams played solid defense in the first half
and it was a pair of underclassmen who gave the Pointers a 28-25 halftime
advantage. Sophomore Jon Krull had 13 points and five rebounds before
halftime while finishing with season-high totals of 22 points and seven
rebounds. Freshman Steve Hicklin hit a three-pointer in the final minute of
the half that gave UW-Stevens Point its three-point cushion. The Pointers
held a momentary six-point lead, but the first half was tied at seven
different times.
The second half was a different story, however, as
the Pointers hit eight of their first nine shots to open up an early
10-point lead at 38-28 with 17:11 left. They cruised the rest of the way,
hitting 64.0 percent of their shots in the second half and playing a
stifling defense that held Rochester to just 28.6 percent after halftime and
32.6 percent for the game.
�They are a very, very good team and they exposed
some of our weaknesses,� said Rochester coach Mike Neer. �They are
well-coached, they don�t care who gets the credit and they get it done.�
Offensively, the story for the Pointers was senior
Nick Bennett, who didn�t score in the first half while saddled with two
fouls, but then came out on fire in the second half, making his first five
shots and scoring 15 points in the first eight minutes of the half.
�He came out and had the half of his life,� Jack
Bennett said of his son, who ended his career with 1,646 points and just
three points shy of second place on the school�s all-time scoring list.
�When we�re clicking on all cylinders we�re tough to defend.�
�I just set forth the goals I always set,� Nick
Bennett explained. �Get open looks, get the ball to open teammates and play
good defense.�
Meanwhile, UW-Stevens Point�s all-time leading
scorer and rebounder, Jason Kalsow, concluded his career with 15 points and
six rebounds, including a baseline dunk with 1:51 left for his final basket.
The Pointers� title was the eighth national championship for the Wisconsin
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference since 1983.
�You can�t get complacent in the WIAC,� said
Kalsow of the team�s drive to repeat as national champions. �We stayed
hungry and we never thought about it until we got back here to the final
four. You just have to get your job done and win games.�
It was UW-Stevens Point�s 11th straight win in the
NCAA tournament and the Pointers are now 16-3 all-time in the postseason.
�For this group and for Nick and I to go out like
this is beyond anything I could have hoped for,� Jack Bennett said. �I still
am shocked we�re back-to-back champs. These guys simply play their best when
the pressure�s the greatest.� |
