San Antonio, Texas – A trip to the Lone Star state got off to an impressive start for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men’s basketball team.

The Pointers routed University of Mary Hardin-Baylor of Belton, Texas, 76-51, in the St. Mary’s Classic.

The win advanced UW-SP (8-3) into a game at 7:30 tonight against host St. Mary’s, a traditional power in the NAIA Division I ranks. The loss dropped the Crusaders to 4-4 and snapped a four-game winning streak.

The Pointers opened a big early lead and took a 40-27 advantage into halftime break.

UHMB never mounted a serious threat in the second half and Pointer coach Jack Bennett used the occasion to give playing time to all 15 players who made the trip. Eight of them saw at least 10 minutes of action and 12 broke into the scoring column.

The Pointers’ sticky defense limited the Crusaders to just 42 shots and forced 16 turnovers. UHMB shot just 33 percent from the floor and saw the Pointers control the boards by a 46-29 margin.

Junior guard Gabe Frank led the balanced attack with 15 points, including three treys. He also had five rebounds and four assists.

Also in double figures were 6-7 junior Brant Bailey with 11 points and 6-2 freshman Kalonji Kadima with 10 points and seven boards.

Sophomore guard Jay Bennett also had a strong outing with nine points and six assists. He buried 3 of 5 attempts from beyond the arc.

Senior co-captain Derek Westrum was a force inside with eight points, five steals and a game high 11 rebounds.

The only UHMB player to reach double digits was Chuck Summers with 11 points.