Basketball games, fortunately, are not won on style points at the collegiate level.

The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup between the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and UW-Superior offered convincing proof of that at Quandt Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

The Pointers, however, had more good stretches of play than the Yellowjackets and the result was a 60-46 victory which put the frosting on the cake for UW-SP coach Jack Bennett's 50th birthday celebration.

The win also boosted the Pointers to 2-1 in the WIAC and 5-2 overall. The Yellowjackets dropped to 0-3 in the conference and 2-4 overall.

Because of the highly physical nature of the game, it was difficult for either team to sustain offensive continuity for more than a couple of possessions at most.

The Pointers, however, shot with more accuracy, especially from long range, and pressured Superior into 20 turnovers.

"It wasn't pretty," Bennett admitted, "and aesthetically not the kind of game the fans probably wanted to see. Superior plays hard and is the type of club it's difficult to look smooth against."

The Pointers, however, matched the Jackets' intensity, especially on the defensive end, and finally got untracked offensively, at least enough to assure the victory.

A 10-0 run midway through the first half enabled UW-SP to build a 24-16 halftime lead.

The margin gradually increased to 10 points at 40-30 when Jay Bennett and Nate Vosters buried 3-point bombs.

The success outside seemed to open up the middle for 6-7 junior Brant Bailey and 6-4 senior Derek Westrum.

Bailey scored nine points with quick moves inside during an 11-1 run which gave the Pointers a 51-34 advantage with 7:11 to play.

Superior, forcing shots and turning the ball over repeatedly, never got closer than nine points the rest of the way, despite frequent trips to the free throw line.

"We want to attack pressure and not be passive but at the same time we have to be able to finish when we take the ball to the basket, either putting up the shot or dishing it back out," Bennett said. "We got caught in that in-between area several times."

"The difference in the second half is that we were able to spread them out more and isolate (Brant) Bailey inside. He was forcing a little earlier but then let the shots come to him. We also had some great assists on lead passes to Brant."

After hitting just 7 of 31 3-point attempts against Mount Senario Monday night, the Pointers reverted to their normal form, nailing 7 of 16. Overall, UW-SP shot just 44 percent on 22 of 55. The Pointers were also 9 of 14 at the line and turned the ball over 13 times.

"We talked about trying to get more quality shots from the outside than we had the other night and generally we made good decisions," Bennett said.

Bailey scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half and also came down with eight rebounds. 6-5 senior co-captain Westrum had his best overall outing to date with 13 points and eight rebounds. He took only five shots but made all of them and also had three steal and two assists. Jay Bennett, who sank 3 of 5 3-pointers, added 11 points.

"Against a quick team like Superior, which put a lot of pressure on the ball, you can't be loose with it," Westrum said. "Brant had a great second half because he did a more effective job of sealing his man and we were able to get some good lead passes to him."

Coach Bennett also cited Westrum's play as a key to the outcome.

"Derek always plays with a great effort," he said. "Tonight, he moved well, blocked out well and played with both moxie and smarts."

Vince Thomas, an athletic 6-6 junior from Carol Stream, Ill., led UW-S with 15 points and seven rebounds. Quincy Malone, a 6-0 senior guard from Indianapolis, Ind., added 11 points.

The Pointers return to WIAC action on Saturday night at UW-La Crosse.