Box Score
STEVENS POINT - No. 7 UW-Stevens Point battled back from a 12-point halftime deficit to upset the No. 2 Warhawks of UW-Whitewater 67-64 in overtime at Quandt Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon.
The Pointers started the game with Louis Hurd (Portage/Portage) (Portage) and Pete Rortvedt (Minocqua/Lakeland) (Minocqua) in street clothes and lost Bryan Beamish (Wisconsin Rapids/Lincoln) (Wisconsin Rapids) for a majority of the first half after a collision, but they put together a great team effort in front of 2,520 fans to win their Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener.
The game started slowly, as neither team could take control. The score was 17-19 with eight minutes remaining in the first half, when the Warhawks ripped off a 15-5 run, thanks in part to seven points by WIAC reigning Player of the Year Matt Goodwin, to grab a 34-22 lead heading into the half.
Khalifa El-Amin (Milwaukee/Rufus King) (Milwaukee) opened up the second half with a three pointer, and the Pointers defense took over from there. The Warhawks only were able to muster one field goal in the first ten minutes of the second stanza, as the Pointers closed the Warhawks lead to two at 38-36 with 12:01 showing on the clock.
With the Pointers in foul trouble, Whitewater kept the pressure on as they went on a 9-0 run to extend the lead to 47-38 with just 6:46 remaining in the second half. But the Pointers crawled back once again, as they pulled to within two at 51-49 with 4:34 remaining in the second half.
After a Kori Vernon split a pair of free throws for the Warhawks, Matt Moses (Fond du Lac/St. Mary Springs) drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:07 left in the half to send the UWSP faithful to their feet and give the Pointers their first tie since it was 11-11 early in the first half.
On the ensuing possession for the Warhawks, Myles McKay missed a layup, but Vernon fought for the rebound and made the easy putback to give the Warhawks a 59-57 lead with :39 to go. On the other end, Jared Jenkins (Milwaukee/Rufus King) missed a layup to give the ball back to Whitewater, but an offensive foul on Dustin Mitchell turned the ball back over to the Pointers for one last possession.
On the final possession, Beamish found Jared Jenkins (Milwaukee/Rufus King) on a backdoor pass for a layup which tied the game at 59-59. After the basket, Goodwin launched a 40-footer which wound up a little long and sent the game into overtime.
In the extra frame, the Pointers carried their momentum from regulation as Matt Moses (Fond du Lac/St. Mary Springs) (Fond du Lac) scored five unanswered points to give the Pointers a 64-59 lead. But the Warhawks wouldn't go away as they tied the score again at 64-64.
Beamish hit two free throws to give the Pointers a 66-64 advantage, and Goodwin missed his next shot which forced the Warhawks to foul.
Jenkins missed both free throws, as Whitewater looked for Goodwin on the other end. He got a great look from the left corner, but his shot was off the mark.
Jenkins headed to the line again, splitting a pair of free throws to give the Pointers a 67-64 lead. On the Warhawks final possession, Tyson Kingsby was called for a double dribble which sealed up the Pointer victory in a game which featured seven ties and lead changes.
Individually for the Pointers (5-1, 1-0), Moses led the way with 21 points on eight of 10 shooting. El-Amin chipped in a team-high four assists to go with eleven points, while Nick Krull (Marshall/Marshall) (Marshall) recorded a team-high seven rebounds.
For the Warhawks, Goodwin and McKay each scored 16 points while Vernon tallied 11 points and nine rebounds.
In their next game, the Pointers they will host the Eagles of UW-La Crosse in WIAC action on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m.
