Box Score

STEVENS POINT - Five Pointers scored in double figures on Thursday evening as UW-Stevens Point advanced to the championship game of the 2009 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) tournament, defeating the Titans of UW-Oshkosh 81-69.

This marks the third year the Pointers will participate in the WIAC tournament championship game. And this year, the opponent will be UW-Platteville, overtime winners over UW-Whitewater in Thursday night's other semifinal game.

Saturday's game is set for a 3 p.m. tip on Bennett Court in Quandt Fieldhouse.

Tied at six with 16:00 left in the opening half, the Pointers used a 7-1 run over the next 2:45 to jump in front by six, 13-7. Oshkosh answered, tying the game at 13 after a D.J. Marsh three-point play. The Pointers again built leads of four and five points but the Titans overcame each deficit, tying the game at 30 with 2:07 remaining in the half. One last spurt by the Pointers before halftime put UWSP up 5, 35-30, heading into halftime.

In the second half, the Titans came fighting back, tying the score at 35 and taking a three-point thanks to three-pointer by Matt Miller. The Pointers countered with a scoring run of their own, erasing the three-point deficit and turning it into a 10 point lead over the next eight minutes, jumping ahead 57-47 with 10:43 remaining in the game.

From there, the Pointers held the Titans at arm's length, allowing the visitors to get no closer than six, 71-65, with just over three minutes remaining in the game, as the Pointers pulled away for the 12-point victory.

Pete Rortvedt (Minocqua, Lakeland) led the way for the Pointers, pouring in a team-high 17 points including three three-pointers. Bryan Beamish (Wisconsin Rapids, Lincoln) added 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds while Louis Hurd (Portage, Portage) added 13 points, Khalifa El-Amin (Milwaukee, Rufus King) 12 and Jared Jenkins (Milwaukee, Rufus King) 10. Jenkins also had a team-high six rebounds on the evening.

For UW-Oshkosh, D.J. Marsh finished with 30 points on 12-of-21 shooting and he also collected a team-high nine rebounds. Matt Miller was the only other Titan to score in double figures, adding 18, all off three-pointers, in the loss.