Box Score

 SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Led by a career-high 23 points from Haley Houghton (Wausau/Wausau East) (Sr.-Wausau/East) the 15th-ranked UW-Stevens Point women's basketball team pulled away in the second half to defeat Maryville University (MO) 91-66 tonight in the semifinals of the Surf n' Slam Classic.

 The Pointers improve to 9-1 this season and have won four straight games. Maryville drops to 4-3 overall. Stevens Point will look for its second Surf n' Slam Championship tomorrow when they face Carroll College.

 The Pointers jumped out to an 8-0 lead three minutes into the contest. That would be the largest lead of the first half for the Pointers as the Saints kept within striking distance throughout. The Saints took their first lead of the game after going on a 7-0 run to make the score 29-27 with five minutes left in the half. Stevens Point followed that with a 9-0 run to take a 36-29 lead with 2:34 remaining in the first half. The Pointers went into the locker room with a 43-36 lead.

 The Pointers shot 54 % in the first half, while holding Maryville to 36 %. The Pointers had a 21-14 edge on the glass, but committed 12 turnovers that led to 16 Saints points. Haley Houghton (Wausau/Wausau East) was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field in half, including a three-pointer, and was 2-for-2 from the free throw line.

 The Saints kept it close for the first 10 minutes of the second half as they only trailed 63-59 with 9:30 left in the game. However, that's as close as Maryville would get as the Pointers outscored the Saints 28-7 the rest of the game, including runs of 9-0 and 17-0. Stevens Point scored 17 of the final 19 points as it cruised to a 91-66 victory.

 The Pointers shot 51 % or the game and was 31-for-38 (82 %) from the free throw line. Houghton finished 12-for-12 from the free throw line herself. The Saints shot just 32 % for the game. Stevens Point had a huge advantage down low as they outrebounded the Saints 46-27 and outscored them 28-10 in the paint.

 Stevens Point had five players score in double-figures, including Houghton's 23 points. Jesirae Heuer (Wisconsin Rapids/Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln) (Sr.-Wisconsin Rapids/Lincoln) and Janell Van Gomple (DeForest/DeForest) (Jr.-DeForest) each had 11 points and Katie Webber (Reedsburg/Reedsburg) (Jr.-Reedsburg) and Laura Neuenfeldt (Two Rivers/Two Rivers) (Sr.-Two Rivers) each chipped in 10 points. Houghton also had a team-high eight rebounds.

 The Pointers move on to face Carroll College in the Surf n' Slam Classic Championship game tomorrow. Carroll defeated Gustavus Adolphus (MN) at the buzzer in the other semifinal game. The tip-off for that game is scheduled for 6 p.m. Stevens Point time.