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Pointers Roll Past
UW-Oshkosh in WIAC Opener
Box Score
Even a 36-minute fire alarm
delay didn't slow the UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team on Wednesday as
the Pointers built an early lead and rolled past UW-Oshkosh 74-61 in the
teams' Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener at the Quandt
Fieldhouse.
The Titans had four turnovers
and made just one of five shots in the first seven minutes as UW-Stevens
Point jumped out to an 11-4 lead. Minutes later, the Pointers used a 7-0
spurt capped by a three-pointer by Pete Rortvedt to lead 21-9 when fire
alarms began sounding in the fieldhouse with 8:06 left in the first half.
The athletes and fans were sent outside for about 20 minutes while
firefighters resolved a small electrical fire in a classroom in another part
of the building.
When play resumed, the
Pointers continued right where they left off, holding UW-Oshkosh without a
field goal until Andy Jahnke scored with 3:39 left in the half to cut the
lead to 27-14. In total, the Titans went a span of 8:11 without a field goal
before making four of their last five shots of the first half.
UW-Stevens Point led 37-21 at
halftime and the Titans made their best spurt of the game when they scored
the first six points of the second half to cut the lead to 10 points.
However, Jon Krull and Steve Hicklin followed with consecutive three-point
plays as the Pointers pushed the lead back to 16. UW-Stevens Point
maintained at least a 10-point lead the remainder of the game.
The Pointers had just six
turnovers in the game, including only two in the first half, while shooting
23-for-26 at the free throw line. The outcome was somewhat of a surprise
considering UW-Oshkosh entered the game as the WIAC preseason favorite and
ranked seventh in the NCAA Division III, while UW-Stevens Point lost four
starters from its two-time defending national championship teams and played
at times with four freshmen on the floor. The victory was UW-Stevens Point's
24th straight home win.
Hicklin led the Pointers with
21 points and made all seven free throws, while Krull had 12 points and was
perfect on eight free throws. Brian Bauer added a career-high 17 points and Pete Rortvedt
had 13 points.
Jahnke led the Titans with 16
points and Kerry Gibson had 13 as UW-Oshkosh shot 64.0 percent in the second
half, but was hampered by 17 turnovers for the game.
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