STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point men's team (11-10, 5-6) saw its upset hopes fall short in a 56-55 home loss to visiting No. 18 UW-Whitewater (18-3, 8-3) on Wednesday night.
 
Junior MJ Delmore (Wisconsin Dells, Wis./Wisconsin Dells) led the Pointers with 12 points.  Sophomore Ethan Bublitz (Jackson, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) and junior Zack Goedeke (Valders, Wis./Valders) also scored in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.   Fellow sophomore Mark Nelson (Madison, Wis./Monona Grove) went 3-for-5 from long range for nine points.
 
Bublitz ended a more-than-five-minute drought to open the game and later hit a three to cut the UWW lead to 10-7.  Delmore scored four-straight points as the Pointers gained their first lead at 13-12 with 9:29 to go in the half.
 
Goedeke scored six of the next 11 UWSP points as the Pointers pushed out to a five-point lead.  The Warhawks scored the final seven points of the half as the Pointers went dry over the final three minutes for a two-point deficit at the break.
 
UWSP used an 11-2 run to open the second half to regain the lead and extend it to seven points four minutes in, the largest lead of the game by either team.  Nelson and senior Brad Freeborn (River Falls, Wis./River Falls) each hit a three as the Pointers held a small lead until the 8:09 mark.
 
Nelson hit twice more from behind the arc to knot the game at 55-55 entering the final minute.  The Warhawks converted the second free throw with seven seconds remaining and Drew Fredrickson (Mount Horeb, Wis./Mount Horeb)'s last second heave came up short in a one-point loss.
 
The Pointers head to UW-Stout for a 3:00 p.m. game, the final road game of the season.  UWSP is home versus UW-Platteville (Feb. 15) and UW-La Crosse (Feb. 18) to close out the season.