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STEVENS POINT- The Pointers opened up the second half on a 20-8 run, as they came back from an eight point halftime deficit to defeat the Warhawks of UW-Whitewater 72-61 Wednesday at Bennett Court.
It was a tale of two halves, as the Pointers completely dominated the second half by outscoring the Warhawks 45-26 in the final 20 minutes of the game.
In the second half the Pointers shot 64.3 percent from the field as they made 18 of the 28 shots they attempted. That compared to the Warhawks 28 percent shooting in the last 20 minutes.
Scott Hoelzel (Kaukauna/Kaukauna) powered the 20-8 run to start the half as he scored eight of his 12 points during the run that stretched over the first 7:41 of the first half. Hoelzel scored 10 points in the second half.
The 20-8 run was not the only big run the Pointers went on in the second half. After the Pointers built up a nine point lead, the Warhawks Alex Edmunds hit a three pointer to make the score 56-50 with 10:08 to go in the game. Edmunds finished with a game high 20 points.
After Edmunds three the Pointers responded with a 13-7 run over the next 7 minutes and 10 seconds to take a 69-57 lead with 2:57 remaining in the game.
Jerrel Harris (Milwaukee/Dominican) was the key part of that run, as he closed it out with a 5-0 run of his own. After making a layup to make the score 66-57, Harris stole the inbounds pass and hit a three as the shot clock expired to put the Pointers up 69-57.
Harris tied for the team lead in points with 15. Joining him with 15 points was Dan Tillema (Randolph, WI/Randolph/Minnesota-Duluth). Also scoring in double figures for the Pointers were Tyler Tillema (Randolph, WI/Randolph) (14) and Nick Krull (Marshall/Marshall) (11).
The Pointers had three players grab at least six rebounds as Tyler Tillema (Randolph, WI/Randolph) led the team with seven rebounds. Dan Tillema (Randolph, WI/Randolph/Minnesota-Duluth) and Krull had six rebounds apiece.
Bench play was another key factor in the game as the Pointers outscored the Warhawks bench 19-0. Tyler Tillema (Randolph, WI/Randolph) was the big performer off the Pointer bench.
The win improved the Pointers to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the WIAC. The Pointers will return to action on Saturday at Bennett Court when they host Macalester College in a nonconference matchup. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
The Pointers will play their next six games against nonconference teams. Their next conference game will be January 5th when they host UW-Oshkosh.
