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Pointers Hold Off
Beavers in Tourney-Opening Win
Box Score
UW-Stevens Point took control midway through the
first half and then fought off Buena Vista in the closing minutes to claim a
75-70 victory in the opening game of the Clarke Holiday men�s basketball
tournament on Wednesday in Dubuque, Iowa.
The Pointers saw a 16-point second half lead
trimmed all the way to three points with 20 seconds left, but were able to
pull out the victory in the first-ever meeting between two of the winningest
NCAA Division III programs in the last six years.
UW-Stevens Point, which is the fourth-winningest
team over the span, improved to 7-2 this season, while Buena Vista, the
nation�s second-winningest team since 1999-2000, fell to 2-6 for the year.
The Pointers advance to the semifinals on Friday at 8 p.m. against
Mid-America Nazarene (Kan.), which defeated Grace (Ind.) 71-67.
Buena Vista took an early 12-7 lead, but the
Pointers used an 8-0 run for a 15-12 advantage. After four straight points
by the Beavers, the Pointers regained the lead for good and then later used
a 9-0 run to build a 34-22 lead with 1:34 left in the first half.
UW-Stevens Point had a 37-29 halftime lead that
was cut to six points twice, but the Pointers went on a 10-2 run capped by
consecutive three-pointers from Khalifa El-Amin and Brian Bauer to push the
lead to 52-37 with 13:22 left. UW-Stevens Point�s biggest lead was 57-41
with 10:51 left and the Pointers took a 66-51 advantage with 4:55 remaining.
Buena Vista forced five turnovers in just over
four minutes to close to within 71-68 with 20 seconds left. The Pointers,
who average just 10.8 turnovers per game, had 21 turnovers in the contest,
marking their most since a win at UW-Whitewater on Jan. 23, 2002. UW-Stevens
Point also uncharacteristically missed free throws down the stretch,
misfiring on three of five attempts in the final minute after entering the
game at 81.4 percent for the season.
Brian Bauer made his final three free throw
attempts to seal the victory and finish with a team-high 17 points. The
Pointers were hot from the floor at 56.5 percent, including 60 percent in
the second half. Steve Hicklin added 14 points as the team�s leading scorer,
Jon Krull, was held below double figures for the first time this season at
five points.
Andre Wagner scored 17 points to lead Buena Vista,
which also finished with 21 turnovers. |
