By Don Friday of the Stevens Point Journal

Jack Bennett hasn't been playing with a full deck every night, but the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men's basketball coach had an ace in the hole Sunday night.

Gabe Frank, an unheralded 6-foot-4 sophomore from Northbrook, Ill., made his first start of the season a memorable one as he led the Pointers to a 70-56 victory over Viterbo College of La Crosse in the 26th annual Sentry Holiday Classic before 1,537 fans at Quandt Fieldhouse.

Frank scored 21 of his game high 25 points in the first half as he injected a spark which helped UWSP snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 8-2 on the season.

After averaging just 2.4 points and 7.7 minutes in the Pointers first nine games, Frank made the most of his big opportunity. He ignited the Pointers in a first half which saw UWSP take a 43-24 lead. Frank's 18 minutes of court time included 8 of 10 marksmanship from the field (2 of 4 from 3-point range), 3 of 4 at the line, four rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block.

"I found out two days ago I was going to start," Frank said. "So I had a couple of days to practice with the first unit. I just wanted a chance to play. Coach has been working with me on improving my defense and I've worked hard at it. You can't play for Coach Bennett if you don't play defense."

"I just tried to come out, play hard, let the game come to me and not force. The other guys gave me some great passes and set some good screens which enabled me to finish plays.

Frank, who nailed 10 of 14 shots, said the Pointers also got a big lift from the return of junior forward Derek Westrum, who missed the last two games with a broken jaw.

"Having Derek back gave us a big emotional boost," he said. "We just draw from the energy he brings to the floor and the way he plays the game."

Bennett said he decided during the week to go with a smaller, quicker lineup against the undersized but aggressive V-Hawks.

"We get a little better ball handling than when we go big," he said. "This lineup also allowed us to rotate our people in the front line the way I wanted. Getting Derek some time without overdoing it was another plus. We also moved the ball exceptionally well and that gave us the flow we needed on offense."

"But the biggest key for us tonight was our commitment to play intense defense and sustain it from start to finish."

The Pointers' first half performance may have been their best of the season. During one stretch of about 10 minutes, UWSP outscored Viterbo, 28-7.

"It was the kind of half you'd like to bottle, make three cases of it and let the players drink it each time out," Bennett said.

Although Viterbo, now 6-6, battled hard to the finish, the Pointers for all practical purposes put the game away early in the second half, opening a 25-point lead(53-28) with less than five minutes elapsed.

Although Bennett substituted freely, UWSP still held a 66-44 advantage with 8:27 left before the V-Hawks managed to narrow the final deficit.

In addition to Frank, UWSP also received 15-point contributions from veterans Dave Grzesk and Russ Austin, who combined to hit 11 of 15 shots. Freshman post Joe Zuiker added eight points and seven rebounds.

"Gabe really answered the bell but I was also pleased to see David respond offensively and Russ give us a nice outside presence," Bennett said. "I also thought Zuiker was solid and we were able to use our bench really well."

The Pointers, who had a 17-9 advantage in assists, emerged from their recent shooting slump to nail 26 of 48 attempts for 54 percent, including 6 of 16 from behind the arc. UWSP was also sharp at the line, converting 12 of 15.

Viterbo, which shot .438 from the field with just 3 of 10 from 3-point range, was led by rugged 6-4 junior Matt Mealy with 14 points and seven rebounds and 5-11 sophomore Kip Jackson with 10. The Pointers aggressive combination defenses pressured the V-Hawks into 18 turnovers.

The Pointers will travel to Elmhurst, Ill. for a non-conference game Saturday.