STEVENS POINT, Wis. – A 32-15 halftime deficit was too much to overcome for the UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team, as the 11th-ranked Pointers were defeated 63-56 by North Central on Saturday evening at Bennett Court at Quandt Fieldhouse.
 
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North Central (4-0) shot 61.9 percent in the opening half and held UW-Stevens Point (3-2) to four field goals on 14.8 percent shooting to take a 32-15 lead into the break. The Pointers shot 7-for-15 from behind the arc in the second half to get back in the game late but could not get any close than five.
 
The Cardinals led 52-34 with 7:58 remaining after a layup by Charles Rosenberg but the Pointers started their attempted comeback by scoring nine straight points, capped by a three by Jordan Lutz (Amherst, WI/Amherst) to get UWSP within nine with 4:01 remaining.
 
Neither team scored for nearly the next two minutes of action before a Jayme Moten layup gave the visitors a double-digit lead once again. Three-pointers by Austin Ryf (Winneconne, WI/Winneconne) and Lutz sandwiched around two free throws for North Central cut the UWSP deficit to five at 56-51 with 1:11 left but the Pointers were unable to draw any closer.
 
North Central held UW-Stevens Point scoreless for a five-minute stretch and without a field goal for the final 11:37 of the opening half to take the 17-point halftime lead.
 
Joe Ritchay (Wisconsin Rapids, WI/Lincoln) led all scorers with 21 points on 9-for-22 shooting from the field. The senior shot 6-for-10, including 3-for-6 from three-point range, and scored 15 of his 21 in the second half. Lutz's three made three-pointers in the second half accounted for his nine points on the night. All nine of Ryf's points also came after the break.
 
Charles Rosenberg's double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds led North Central, while Moten contributed 12 points and six rebounds. Kevin Honn chipped in with nine points and eight boards.
 
The Cardinals held a 43-25 advantage on the glass in the contest and shot the ball at a 53.5 percent clip. The Pointers finished shooting 32.3 percent but turned the ball over just six times, compared to 17 for North Central.
 
UW-Stevens Point opens Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play by hosting UW-Eau Claire on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. at Bennett Court at Quandt Fieldhouse.