POINTERS FIND A WAY IN OT
By Don Friday of the Stevens Point Journal

The Mission Impossible season for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men's basketball team continued Friday night.

Like the fictional characters from the old television series, no challenge seems beyond the capabilities of the Pointers, who seem creative enough to solve any problem.

This time it was a 3-point-bullseye from the top of the key by Russ Austin with the nine seconds remaining in overtime which provided the margin of victory in a 68-67 West Region Sectional semifinal against Mount Union, Ohio at Snyder Arena.

The win advanced the 22-6 Pointers into the championship game at 7:30 tonight against host Nebraska Wesleyan College (23-5), which eliminated defending national runner-up Hope College, Mich., in the second game night, 97-75.

"I got a great pass from Dan (Denniston), got a pretty good look and knew it was right on line, although you're never sure if the shot might be long or short," Austin said. "I just tried to make sure I followed through on it."

The Pointers then got a break when Mount Union guard Mike Lower was called for an offensive foul when he lowered a shoulder into Denniston as he tried to penetrate to the basket.

Denniston was awarded two free throws with :03.8 left. He missed both but by the time Neal Richards, who grabbed the rebound and passes to guard Scott Eadsley, , precious time ran off the clock. Eadsley had time only to launch a desperation heave from near mid-court that fell far short as the game ended.

The loss ended a 25-5 season for the Purple Raiders and snapped a school record 16-game winning streak.

The Pointers received a big break when Eadsley missed on the front end of a bonus free throw situation with :20.7 left and Mount Union leading, 67-65.

"We would have called a timeout had Denniston made the second free throw," said Mount Union coach Lee Hood. "When he missed, we really had to rush things, so that worked to their advantage. But give them credit. They made a lot of big plays down the stretch. We had a chance to pull away but missed some key free throws."

Not to be overlooked either was a layup with nine seconds left in regulation by Derek Westrum which created a 61-61 deadlock and allowed the Pointers to get into overtime. Westrum took a feed from Denniston, whose 13 assists were the third-highest total in UW-SP history.

"This team is showing a determination side I didn't think they had, "Bennett said. "Russ looked right down the barrel on that shot and buried it. He deserves all the more credit for having the confidence to take it after shooting a couple of air ball earlier in the overtime."

"We used to a play that gave us the option of either going inside or outside. It was the same play we used to win a game earlier in the season at Winona State when Russ also came through with a 3-pointer with nine seconds left."

After opening an 18-10 lead with just over eight minutes elapsed in the first half, the Pointers cooled off and say the Raiders go on a 16-5 run sparked by 6-6 junior standing out Aaron Shipp, who scored 11 points. Mount Union took a 35-32 intermission lead.

The Raiders went on to build a 46-39 lead with 10:40 left but Mike Paynter sparked a Pointer rally and Austin's trey from the right wing created a 48-48 tie with 7:12 remaining.

After missing their first eight shots of the second half, the Pointer sank 13 of their last 20. UW-SP finished at 51 percent on 24 of 47 and sizzled from a 3-point range by draining 8 of 12. The Raiders, however, used a weight advantage inside to control the boards, 36-26.

Mount Union, 6 of 14 from beyond the arc, finished at 43.6 percent on 24 of 55.

Paynter had 21 points and seven rebounds while Austin, who was 4 of 5 on 3-point attempts, scored 13 of his 20 point sin the second half and overtime. Westrum contributed 11 points and five rebounds before fouling out with 3:42 left in the extra period. In addition to his 13 assists, Denniston chipped in eight points.

Shipp, a 235-pounder who grabbed nine boards, scored 13 of his 21 points in the first half. Endsley added 13 and 6-6, 260-pound Richards nine points and 11 rebounds.

"I knew I was giving up a lot of weight inside, so I tried to use my quickness and not wrestle or muscle with them," said the 215-pound Paynter.

Problems getting to the tourney site also confronted the Pointers whose flight from Minneapolis was delayed by a snowstorm. They didn't arrive in Lincoln until 12:30a..m. Friday, some eight hours later than scheduled.

"I'm a little concerned about our legs, but we'll get as much rest as we can and give it everything tomorrow," Bennett said.

Austin isn't concerned about fatigue.

"When you get to this point, you play on heart," he said. "Your legs may hurt but you forget about it and let your emotion take over."