Box Score
STEVENS POINT – The fifth-ranked UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team extended its winning streak to six tonight with an 89-62 victory over UW-La Crosse at Quandt Fieldhouse on Senior Night.
The Pointers, who are the new top-ranked team in the West Region, improve their overall record to 20-4 overall and 12-3 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). Stevens Point can split or win the WIAC regular season title outright with a win at UW-Platteville on Saturday. UW-La Crosse falls to an overall record of 11-14 and a conference record of 6-10.
Senior Steve Hicklin (Sussex/Hamilton) (Sr.-Suusex/Hamilton) was playing in his final regular season home game as a Pointer. Hicklin is currently 17th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,091 career points.
The teams traded baskets early on with the Eagles taking their one and only lead at 7-6. The Pointers then went on the first of two 8-0 runs in the first half to go up 14-7. At the midway point of the first half, Stevens Point went on its second 8-0 run to extend its lead to 29-16. Pete Rortvedt (Minocqua/Lakeland) (Jr.-Minocqua/Lakeland) had a pair of three-pointers during that stretch. The Pointers then went on a 12-0 run near the end of the first half to take a 43-23 lead. Stevens Point went into the locker room with a 43-25 advantage.
The Pointers shot 64 % in the first half, including 6-for-10 on three-point attempts. Stevens Point had a 20-8 scoring advantage inside and owned a 16-11 edge on the glass. The Eagles shot just 33 % in the first half.
The margin stayed in the 20's for the better part of the second half. The Stevens Point lead got up to 27 after a Matt Moses (Fond du Lac/St. Mary Springs) (So.-Fond du Lac/St. Mary Springs) three-point play. Louis Hurd (Portage/Portage) (Fr.-Portage) had a big second half for the Pointers as he scored 14 of his career-high 16 points in the half. All 14 points came in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Stevens Point defeated La Crosse for the 14th-straight time by a score of 89-62.
The Pointers shot 57 % for the game and were 10-for-21 from beyond the three-point line. The Pointers had a 33-26 edge on the boards and 18 assists to just nine turnovers. The Eagles shot 44 % for the game and were just 6-for-19 on three-point attempts.
Pete Rortvedt (Minocqua/Lakeland) led the way for the Pointers with 20 points. Bryan Beamish (Wisconsin Rapids/Lincoln) (Jr.-Wisconsin Rapids/Lincoln) had another solid all-around game with 12 points, a team-high seven rebounds, and five assists. Matt Moses (Fond du Lac/St. Mary Springs) filled in for Khalifa El-Amin (Milwaukee/Rufus King) (Jr.-Milwaukee/Rufus King) and led the team with six assists. Ross Rortvedt (Minocqua/Lakeland) (So.-Minocqua/Lakeland) added 11 points off the bench. Austin Scott had 22 points to lead the Eagles.
The Pointers will have a chance for their 25th conference regular season title Saturday when they face UW-Platteville in the regular season finale. The Pointers and Pioneers get underway at approximately 5 p.m. following the women's game on Bo Ryan Court.
