MEN'S BASKETBALL (14-4 Overall, 6-3 WIAC)
Jan. 30 – at UW-River Falls – 7 p.m.

The seventh-ranked UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team split its games this week, coming back to defeat UW-Eau Claire 57-44 Wednesday night, but falling to UW-Oshkosh 73-61 on Saturday.

The Pointers finished Wednesday night's game on a 20-3 run to rally past UW-Eau Claire by a score of 57-44.

Steve Hicklin (Sr.-Sussex/Hamilton) became the 27th Pointer men's basketball player to score 1,000 career points after scoring the first four Pointer points. However, Stevens Point only had four points the first 13 minutes of the game and trailed 19-4. The Pointers finished the half strong and trailed 25-21 at halftime.

Stevens Point took its first lead with less than 12 minutes left in the game. The Blugolds regained the lead, but their last field goal of the game came with 9:17 on the clock. The Pointers then finished the game outscoring Eau Claire 20-3 to down the Blugolds 57-44. Hicklin was the only Pointer to score in double-figures as he had a game-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Bryan Beamish (Jr.-Wisconsin Rapids/Lincoln) had solid performance with eight points, a team-high seven rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks. Drew Jackson (Jr.-Milwaukee/Rufus King) had eight points and four assists off the bench.

UW-Oshkosh defeated the Pointers for the second time this season by a score of 73-61 at the Kolf Sports Center Saturday.

The Titans jumped out to a 7-2 lead and did not relinquish the lead the rest of the game. The Pointers cut the lead to six with 15 minutes left in the second half, but the Titans went on a 7-0 run and Stevens was unable to cut the margin below double-digits the rest of the game.

Khalifa El-Amin (Jr.-Milwaukee/Rufus King) led the way for Stevens Point with 14 points. Louis Hurd (Fr.-Portage) added 11 points off the bench and had a team-high four rebounds. The Pointers were without second-leading scorer Pete Rortvedt (Jr.-Minocqua/Lakeland) due to an injury suffered against UW-Eau Claire on Wednesday.

The Pointers stay on the road Wednesday night when they face UW-River Falls at the Karges Center. The tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.


MEN'S HOCKEY (13-5-2 overall, 4-4-1 NCHA)
Feb. 1 – UW-River Falls (Willett Arena) – 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 2 – UW-Stout (Willett Arena) – 7:30 p.m.

The UW-Stevens Point men's hockey team went down to Illinois and defeated Lake Forest College 4-2 on Friday night and then traveled to St. Norbert College and tied the No. 1-ranked Green Knights 2-2 on Saturday night to extend its unbeaten streak to nine games.

The Pointers scored two first period goals and never looked back as they got back to .500 in conference action with a 4-2 victory over Lake Forest College Friday night.

Pat Lee (So.-Schaumburg, IL) scored two goals in the game to give him a team-high 13 goals on the year. Josh Calleja (So.-New Richmond) and Matt Stendahl (Jr.-Forest Lake, MN) had the other two goals for Stevens Point. Thomas Speer (Fr.-Janesville/James Madison) improved to 11-2-1 this season as he stopped 16 shots.

On Saturday, the Pointers skated to a 2-2 tie with the top-ranked Green Knights. Brett Beckfeld (Jr.-Plymouth, MN/Armstrong) and Sean Fish (Jr.-Ramsey, MN/Anoka) scored goals within 18 seconds of each other in the first period to go up 2-0. The Green Knights scored a goal in the second period and the third period to send the game into overtime. The Pointers got four shots on goal in overtime, but could not get one past the goaltender as the game ended in a 2-2 tie.

Thomas Speer had 32 saves to earn the tie for the Pointers. The Pointers return to Willett Arena next Friday when they host UW-River Falls. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:30 p.m.


SWIMMING & DIVING (Men: 3-1; Women: 2-2)

The UW-Stevens Point swimming and diving men's team defeated UW-La Crosse 159-82, but the women's team fell to the Eagles by a score of 139-104 Saturday afternoon on Senior Day at the UWSP Aquatics Center.

The Pointer men won 10 events on the day. Chase Gross (Jr.-Edina, MN) won the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 20.95. Gross also won the 100-yard freestyle, posting a time of 47.30. Gross along with Ben Gensler (Sr.-Naperville, IL/Benet Academy), Matt Olp (Fr.-Oregon), and Willy Clapp (Sr.-Faribault, MN) won the 400-yard medley relay in a time of 3:33.24.

Gensler was also a multiple-event winner. Gensler won the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:00.31. Gensler also took the top spot in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:10.88. Steve Lynam (Jr.-Fitchburg/Verona) won the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle events. Lynam won the 200 in 1:45.24 and the 500 in 4:55.66. The other Pointer men's swimmer to win was Rob Donisch (Jr.-Wheaton, IL/Wheaton-Warrenville South) in the 200-yard butterfly. Josh Brandt (Jr.-Cambridge, MN/Cambridge-Isanti) took the one-meter and three-meter diving events.

The Pointer women's team won six events. Abby Strobel (Jr.-Neenah) won the 1,000-yard freestyle in a time of 10:59.27. Lindsay Lukes (So.-Pulaski) took the 200-yard freestyle, posting a time of 2:00.21. Katie Buhr (So.-Faribault, MN) won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 26.42.

BethAnn Abraham (Fr.-Eden Prairie, MN) took first in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:14.34. Jenny Bennett (Fr.-De Pere/Ashwaubenon) won the 200-yard butterfly in a time of 2:14.42. Finally, Jenny Bussey (Fr.-Chanhassen, MN/Chaska) took the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:28.96.

The Pointers will compete next on Friday and Saturday February 8-9 when they participate in the Minnesota Challenge. The action begins at 6 p.m. on Friday.

TRACK & FIELD
Feb. 2 – Men at Carthage Invitational – 11 a.m.
Feb. 2 – Women at UW-Stout Invitational – Noon

The UW-Stevens Point men's track team began the indoor season by taking first Saturday out of 20 teams at the UW-Whitewater Invitational.

The Pointers finished with 124 points taking the top spot. UW-Whitewater was second with 122.50 points, UW-Platteville was third with 103.50 points, UW-Eau Claire was fourth with 74.50, and Carroll College rounded out the top five with 38.50 points.

The Pointers took the top three spots of the 400-meter dash with Nick Ver Duin (Sr.-Howards Grove) finishing first in a time of 50.32. Pat Leonard (Sr.-Chicago, IL/Brother Rice) was second and Brad Koback (Jr.-Amherst) was third. Travis Nechuta (Jr.-Mosinee) took the top spot in the one-mile run as he finished in a time of 4:19.80. The Pointer 4x400-meter relay team also took first, finishing in a time of 3:22.85.

In field events, Derek Stone took the men's high jump clearing 1.93 meters. Mark Cufaude (So.-Evansville) also took first in the pole vault as he cleared 4.87 meters.

The Pointers will compete in the Carthage Invitational next Saturday. Action begins at 11 a.m.
The UW-Stevens Point women's track team finished second out of 17 teams Saturday with 73 points at the UW-Whitewater Invitational.

UW-Eau Claire took the top spot with 105 points. Carroll College finished behind the Pointers with 71.5 points. Carthage College was fourth with 69.5 points and UW-Platteville was fifth with 63 points.

The Stevens Point distance medley took first, finishing in a time of 13:20.30. The Pointers had some second place finishes. Andrea Irvine (Sr.-Green Bay/Bay Port) was second in the 400-meter dash as she posted a time of 59.65. The 4x400-meter relay team also finished second with a time of 4:02.65.

Kathleen Folbrecht (So.-Jefferson) was second in the triple jump jumping a distance of 10.56 meters.
Liz Caine (So.-Plover/SPASH) was third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.12. Angela Sheridan (Jr.-Dubuque, IA/Wahlert) also finished third in the shot put, throwing a distance of 12.04 meters.

The Pointers will compete in the UW-Stout Invitational next Saturday. Action begins at noon.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (15-3 overall, 6-3 WIAC)
Jan. 30 – UW-River Falls (Berg Gym) – 7 p.m.

The 10th-ranked UW-Stevens Point women's basketball team suffered a pair of losses this week, losing at UW-Eau Claire 62-54 on Wednesday night and then falling at UW-Oshkosh 59-42 on Saturday.

The Pointers had their 10-game win streak snapped Wednesday night with a 62-54 loss at 25th-ranked UW-Eau Claire.

The Blugolds jumped out to an 11-3 lead and led for most of the first half. Britta Petersen (Fr.-Luck) hit a jumper with 12 seconds left in the half to make the halftime score 26-26. A Katie Webber (Jr.-Reedsburg) three-pointer gave Stevens Point the lead two minutes into the second half. The Pointers led 49-41 with 6:50 left in the game, but the Blugolds scored the next 16 points of the game and led 57-49 with 49 seconds left. Eau Claire then sealed the game from the free throw line.

Britta Petersen tied a career-high with 13 points off the bench for the Pointers. Haley Houghton (Sr.-Wausau/East) was the second-leading scorer with eight points. Jessi Sporle (Jr.-Mineral Point) and Chelsea Kranz (Sr.-Columbus) each had six rebounds to lead the team.

On Saturday the Pointers fell to the Titans 59-42. Stevens Point missed 12 of its first 15 field goal attempts and trailed 20-13 at the half. Oshkosh then opened the second half on a 17-6 run and had a 37-19 lead with 12 minutes remaining. The Pointers cut the lead down to seven, but the Titans extended the lead back to double-digits and finished the game on an 8-0 run.

Chelsea Kranz was the only Pointer to score in double-figures as she had 10 points. Kranz also had a team-high five rebounds.

The Pointers return to Berg Gym on Wednesday night when they host UW-River Falls. The tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.


WOMEN'S HOCKEY (15-0-1 overall, 11-0-1 NCHA)
Feb. 1 – at UW-Eau Claire – 7 p.m.
Feb. 2 – at UW-River Falls – 3:05 p.m.

The second-ranked UW-Stevens Point women's hockey team had a pair of convincing victories over Concordia University (Wis.) this weekend, winning 10-0 Friday night and 8-1 on Saturday.

The Pointers matched a team record for the largest margin in a shutout victory with a 10-0 defeat of Concordia University on Friday night. Stevens Point ran its unbeaten streak to 16, which is the second-longest in team history. Two of the 10 goals were of the short-handed variety. Nicole Grossmann (Jr.-Lindstrom, MN/Chisago Lakes) had a pair of goals to lead the Pointers. Jenna Daggit (Jr.-St. Paul Park, MN/Park of Cottage Grove) scored her first goal of the season with six seconds left in the contest. Ann Hulme (So.-Shaker Heights, OH/Phillips Exeter, NH) earned the win as she stopped six shots in just two periods of action. Danielle Vaness (So.-Oxford/Portage) also made her Pointer debut in net stopping one shot in the third period.

The Pointers then defeated Concordia 8-1 on Saturday. Dana Carothers (Fr.-Burnsville, MN) had a pair of first period goals and Nicole Grossmann scored her 50th collegiate goal. Trish Piskula (Jr.-Antigo) also had a pair of goals in the victory.

Ann Hulme played just one period in net, but still received the win and improved to 9-0-0 this year. Danielle Vaness played the final two periods and had eight saves.

The Pointers will travel to face UW-Eau Claire Friday night. The action begins at 7 p.m.

WRESTLING (12-5-1 overall, 2-1 WIAC)
Jan. 29 – Lawrence University (Berg Gym) – 7 p.m.
Feb. 2 – UW-Eau Claire Invitational – 9 a.m.

The 11th-ranked UW-Stevens Point wrestling team fell short against second-ranked UW-La Crosse Wednesday night losing by a score of 25-12, but came back to take first place at Border Brawl on Saturday.

The Pointers fell short in their showdown with second-ranked UW-La Crosse on Wednesday night, falling to the Eagles 25-12 at Berg Gym. At 197 pounds, second-ranked Craig Bollig (Sr.-Verona) cruised to an easy 6-1 victory over seventh-ranked Andy Moore to improve to 22-1 on the season. At heavyweight the Pointers continued their winning ways when Mitch Szwet (Sr.-Coleman) upset ninth-ranked Dan Laurent 2-0. Chase DeCleene (Jr.-Ashwaubenon) scored a fall pinning Dan Crone 53-seconds into the second period at 141 pounds.

The pointers went 4-0 Saturday at the Border Brawl to take first and Ben Engelland (Fr.-Neenah) was named Most-Outstanding Wrestler.

The Pointers began the day with a 51-6 victory over Augustana College (IL). The only loss for the Pointers came by forfeit at 125 pounds. Stevens Point forfeited that weight class the rest of the duals. Eight of the wins in the dual came by pin fall.

In the second dual meet, Stevens Point took care of the University of Chicago by a score of 36-9. The only Pointer loss in that match came at 165 pounds.

In round three of the duals, the Pointers took down ninth-ranked North Central College (IL) 21-15. Ben Engelland at 184 pounds defeated fourth-ranked Gabe Youel 7-3.

In the final dual meet of the day, the Pointers defeated 25th-ranked Elmhurst College (IL) 29-15. Chase DeCleene finished with a perfect 4-0 record after he pinned Bobby Callen at 1:59. No. 2 Eric Bath (Sr.-Pulaski) was also 4-0 at 174 after he defeated Greg Horn 7-2. Ben Engelland finished 4-0 after pinning Garrett Washington in 3:46 at 184 pounds.

No. 2 Craig Bollig was the last Pointer to finish 4-0 on the day with a 15-0 technical fall over Bernie Vazquez at 197 pounds. Chad Gregory (So.-Lawton, OK) was 3-0 at 285 pounds.

The Pointers will face Lawrence University Tuesday night at Berg Gym. The action begins at 7 p.m.

* For further information on UW-Stevens Point athletics be sure to check out the Pointer Web Site at http://athletics.uwsp.edu. The website includes up-to-date news, schedules, stats and more on all of UW-Stevens Point's athletic teams.