Box Score

 LA CROSSE – It was Ross Rortvedt (Minocqua/Lakeland) (So.-Minocqua/Lakeland) that stepped up tonight, scoring a career-high 17 points as the fourth-ranked UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team hung on to defeat Viterbo University 91-83 at the R.W. Beggs Senior Gymnasium.

 Somebody had to step up for the injured Pete Rortvedt (Minocqua/Lakeland) (Jr.-Minocqua/Lakeland) and who better to do so than his brother. Ross Rortvedt (Minocqua/Lakeland) scored 17 points in 17 minutes of action off the bench for the Pointers. He was 5-for-8 from the field, including 3-for-6 from beyond the arc. It was the first time that Ross had scored in double-figures in his two-year career.

 The Pointers improve to an overall record of 6-1, while the V-Hawks drop to a record of 4-7. Stevens Point improves to 21-3 all-time against Viterbo and has won 14 straight since the 1994-95 season.

 The first half was tight for the first 16 minutes. The lead changed hands six times the first 10 minutes of action. The Pointers took the lead for good at 9:39 when Ross Rortvedt (Minocqua/Lakeland) drained a three pointer to make the score 20-18. With the score 28-26 with 4:27 left in the half, the Pointers gave themselves some breathing room going on a 15-2 run to make the score 43-28 with 30 seconds left. The V-Hawks connected on a three at the end of the half as the teams went into the locker room with the score 43-31.

 The Pointers had a 12-2 scoring advantage in the paint and the Stevens Point bench outscored Viterbo's bench 18-9 in the half. The Pointers shot 52 % in the first half and were 7-for-14 beyond the arc.

 Stevens Point crawled its lead up to 21 halfway through the second half following a Louis Hurd (Portage/Portage) (Fr.-Portage) three-point field goal. However, the V-Hawks wouldn't quit as they cut the lead back down to eight with 3:12 remaining. The Pointers responded with a Matt Moses (Fond du Lac/St. Mary Springs) (So.-Fond du Lac/St. Mary Springs) three pointer. Khalifa El-Amin (Milwaukee/Rufus King) (Jr.-Milwaukee/Rufus King) was then fouled on a three-point attempt and made all three free throws to extend the lead back to 15 with 1:07 left.

 Viterbo made the game interesting again in the final minute as it cut the lead down to six with 10 seconds left. However, it was too little, too late as the Pointers went on to win by a final score of 91-83.

 The Pointers finished at 50 % shooting for the game and were 13-for-30 from beyond the arc. Stevens Point was 22-for-28 from the free throw line. The Pointer bench had a 26-1 scoring advantage in the second half. The V-Hawks shot 49 % from the field and was 11-for-22 on three-point attempts.

 Matt Moses (Fond du Lac/St. Mary Springs), who started for Pete Rortvedt (Minocqua/Lakeland), matched a career-high with 12 points. Steve Hicklin (Sussex/Hamilton) (Sr.-Sussex/Hamilton) added 14 points, while Louis Hurd (Portage/Portage) scored 12 points and had a team-high seven rebounds. Cornelious Bardney led all scorers with 31 points for the V-Hawks.

 The Pointers will head down to Madison on Wednesday to face Edgewood College. The tip-off for that game is scheduled for 7 p.m.