UWSP gets defensive with Vikings

Chalk one up for the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Teams in the Midwest Conference, such as Lawrence University and Ripon College, like to think they are at least on par with the top echelon clubs in the WIAC.

Both leagues are affiliated with the NCAA Division III and any matchups between the two conferences might be analyzed when it comes to awarding playoff berths at the end of the season.

With that in mind, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men’s basketball team, bouncing back from one of its toughest losses of the season four nights earlier, dominated Lawrence in the second half and went on to post a convincing 64-49 non-conference victory at Quandt Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.

The win improved the Pointers to 6-3 overall. Lawrence, coming off a huge win over preseason Midwest title favorite Ripon, dropped to 2-2. The Pointers are now idle for semester exams until hosting Elmhurst, Ill. College on Wednesday, Dec. 23.

"We won this one because of our defensive play. There’s no question at all about that," said UW-SP coach Jack Bennett. "We didn’t shoot the ball well in the first half but our defense set the tone. It has to bail you out on those nights when you struggle offensively."

Bennett, alternating between his base man-for-man and 1-3-1 zone, saw his team take a 24-19 halftime lead despite hitting just 7 of 24 shots.

That’s because the Pointers defense limited the Vikings to those exact numbers for the first 20 minutes.

Lawrence actually led until the final six minutes when UW-SP went on a 12-4 run to gain the intermission lead.

The Pointers, who had 13 steals and a 14-7 advantage in assists, then started finding the range in the second half, using an 11-2 run to open a 35-21 advantage with 13:56 remaining.

The Vikings, pressured into 22 turnovers by the Pointers’ switching defenses, never mounted a serious challenge the rest of the way.

"We may have to go to the zone more," Bennett said. "It provides just enough of a change to cause teams to be more hesitant and unsure."

The Pointers eventually built their lead to 19 points at 52-33 with 6:43 remaining on a 3-point bomb from the left wing by freshmen Kalonji Kadima.

The Vikings’ however, didn’t go away, mainly because the Pointers started fouling with the big lead. Lawrence sank 10 consecutive free throws before scoring a basket and managed to close to within 57-48 with about two minutes left.

After that, it was the Pointers’ turn to put the game away by getting to the line and converting just enough to get the lead back into double digits.

Lawrence had no answer for the inside offensive prowess of 6-7 Pointer Brant Bailey.

The Wisconsin Dells native poured in 25 points, 14 in the second half when the Pointers broke the game open. He was 8 of 12 from the floor and 9 of 12 at the line.

Bailey said the Pointers knew they had to quickly shake off the disappointment of Saturday’s last second loss at LaCrosse.

"That was unreal," he said. "But we knew we had to pull together and we did. It was a matter of playing sound defense and executing our motion offense.

"Anytime I can go up against a guy near my size, I feel I have an advantage offensively from a quickness and jumping ability standpoint. I was able to isolate in the low post and got some great passes from Jay (Bennett).

"It also takes a lot of pressure off men when Derek (Westrum) steps up from the mid-range area and contributes offensively like he did tonight."

Westrum, who nailed 5 of 8 shots, scored 16 points and recorded a double-double by coming down with 11 rebounds, 10 on the defensive glass.

"Brant is our scorer down low," Bennett said. "Especially when he slows down, is patient and lets the game come to him.

"Derek took advantage of his scoring opportunities, while at the same time moving the ball, playing strong defense and controlling the boards. He is now using his savvy and experience to contribute more on offense.

"The rest of our guys also had solid games, especially on the defensive end. We did a great job on Lawrence’s three top scorers, (Adam) Lavoy, (Rhett) Wurtz and (Mike) Cogill."

By hitting 13 of 21 second half shots, the Pointers boosted their final shooting percentage to .444. UW-SP, a solid 23 of 30 at the line, made just 1 of 8 shots from beyond the arc.

No Lawrence player broke into double figures. Lavoy and 6-5 junior Mark Conrad each tallied eight points.