PHOENIX, Ariz. – The No. 19 UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team picked up its second win in as many days at the Arizona Shootout by defeating Hamilton 61-43 behind 19 points each by
Sean McGann (Baraboo, WI/Baraboo) and
Ethan Bublitz (Jackson, WI/Kettle Moraine Lutheran) on Wednesday at the Phoenix Convention Center.
Box Score UW-Stevens Point (7-4) held Hamilton (7-4) to six field goals and 19.4 percent shooting in the first half to take a 33-13 halftime lead and never looked back. The Pointers never trailed and led for 38:49 in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
Bublitz shot 7-for-9 from the field, including a blistering 5-for-6 from three-point range, to finish one point shy of his career-high 20 against St. Olaf on Nov. 18. The freshman also was 5-for-6 from behind the arc against the Oles.
McGann was 5-for-11 from the field and a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line and added a career-high five assists for UW-Stevens Point.
Zack Goedeke (Valders, WI/Valders) added nine points for the Pointers, while
Stephen Pelkofer (Hales Corner, WI/Whitnall) chimed in with eight.
UW-Stevens Point used a 12-2 run to take an 18-6 lead with 11:48 remaining in the first half and led by at least 12 for the rest of the game. Bublitz hit two threes during the spurt and McGann added four free throws.
McGann and Bublitz combined for 19 first-half points, outscoring the Continentals 19-13 in the opening 20 minutes.
Hamilton trimmed the UW-Stevens Point lead to 12 at 38-26 with 13:18 to go in the second half but the Pointers stretched their lead to 49-28 with an 11-2 run. The Continentals shot an even 50.0 percent in the second half and Jack Dwyer scored 15 of his game-high 21 points after the break.
No other Hamilton player scored more than five points in the game and the Continentals were just 1-for-17 from behind the arc in the game. Meanwhile, UW-Stevens Point connected on 7-of-16 three-pointers and shot 45.8 percent in the win.
UW-Stevens Point opens Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play at UW-Eau Claire on Wednesday, Jan. 6 looking for its fourth consecutive win.
