Box Score

 MENOMONIE – The 11th-ranked UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team got out of Johnson Fieldhouse with a hard-earned victory over UW-Stout tonight by a score of 83-77.

 The Pointers improve to 12-3 overall and 4-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). The Blue Devils drop to 3-12 overall and 0-6 in conference play. The Pointers have now won 11 of the last 12 meetings over the Blue Devils.

 After the game was back-and-forth for the first five minutes, Stevens Point went on an 8-0 run to make the score 16-9. A pair of Ross Rortvedt (Minocqua/Lakeland) (So.-Minocqua/Lakeland) free throws extended the Stevens Point lead to 10 with seven minutes remaining in the half. Stout then went on a 12-1 run to regain the lead with 2:48 remaining in the first half. A Pete Rortvedt (Minocqua/Lakeland) (Jr.-Minocqua/Lakeland) three-pointer gave the Pointers a four-point lead and Stevens Point went into the locker room with a 31-30 advantage.

 Stevens Point shot 46 % from the field in the first half, while Stout shot just 38 %. The Pointer bench contributed 12 points in the half, led by Louis Hurd (Portage/Portage) (Fr.-Portage), who had eight points. The Pointers did commit nine turnovers in the half, compared to just three assists.

 The game remained close in the second half after the sixth tie of the game with 10:41 remaining. The Pointers took the lead for good after a three-pointer by Ross Rortvedt (Minocqua/Lakeland) with 9:18 left. Back-to-back three pointers by Pete Rortvedt (Minocqua/Lakeland) and Bryan Beamish (Wisconsin Rapids/Lincoln) (Jr.-Wisconsin Rapids/Lincoln) extended a one-point game to 70-63 with 2:38 remaining. Stevens Point went 9-for-10 from the free throw line in the final minute to defeat the Blue Devils 83-77.

 Both teams shot 62 % in the second half, but the Pointers made nine more free throws. Stevens Point had eight assists in the second, compared to just two turnovers.

 Steve Hicklin (Sussex/Hamilton) (Sr.-Sussex/Hamilton) led the Pointers with 16 points. He now needs just 12 points to reach 1,000 career points. Ross Rortvedt (Minocqua/Lakeland) and Louis Hurd (Portage/Portage) each had 13 points off the bench. Rortvedt was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line, including 6-for-6 in the final minute. Pete Rortvedt (Minocqua/Lakeland) added 11 points and had a team-high six rebounds. Miles Webb scored a career-high 37 points in the losing effort for the Blue Devils.

 The Pointers return to Quandt Fieldhouse Saturday when they face UW-Superior on Alumni Day. The tip-off will be at approximately 5 p.m. following the women's game.