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Red-Hot Second
Half Lifts Pointers Past Blugolds
Box Score
UW-Stevens Point used a red-hot second half
shooting performance to erase a halftime deficit and pull away from UW-Eau
Claire for a 79-76 victory on Wednesday in Eau Claire.
The Pointers trailed 31-24 at halftime, but shot
72.7 percent (16-for-22) during a 55-point second half outburst to earn the
road victory. UW-Stevens Point avoided its first three-game losing streak in
11 years with the victory and remained tied in the loss column atop the
conference standings, improving to 13-7 overall and 8-3 in the Wisconsin
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. UW-Eau Claire is now 10-10 overall and
3-9 in the league.
UW-Eau Claire took its first lead nearly seven
minutes into the game and held it for the remainder of the first half. The
Pointers, however, opened the second half with an 8-0 run as Brian Bauer hit
a short jumper and a three-pointer on two of the first three possessions.
Holding a 59-58 lead with
4:23 left, the Pointers extended the lead on a three-pointer by Khalifa
El-Amin. After UW-Eau Claire scored to cut the lead back to 62-60, Jon Krull
followed with a three-pointer for a five-point advantage. Krull had all 16
of his points in the second half.
Krull hit a free throw to
put the Pointers ahead 66-60 and, following a Blugolds� score, Pete Rortvedt
drained a three-pointer with 1:43 left to give UW-Stevens Point a 69-62
lead.
Krull hit two more free
throws with 37 seconds remaining for a 73-67 Pointers� cushion before the
Blugolds used a barrage of three-pointers to remain in the game. Luke Meier,
Ryan Zach and Matt Riley all hit shots from behind the arc in the final 32
seconds, however, UW-Stevens Point made all six of its free throws in the
last 16 seconds with Steve Hicklin knocking down four straight and Brian
Bauer making a pair with one second left.
Bauer finished with 21
points to lead the Pointers, while Rortvedt had 17 and Hicklin added 14.
Jared Bardon had a career-high 26 points to lead UW-Eau Claire. |
