STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team (9-9, 3-5) was unable to slow No. 5 UW-River Falls (18-1, 8-0) as the Falcons extended an 11-point halftime lead to a 67-51 win over the Pointers on Saturday.
 
Sophomore Ethan Bublitz (Jackson, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) was the lone Pointer in double figures, scoring 11 for UWSP.  Junior Zack Goedeke (Valders, Wis./Valders) pulled down eight boards and senior Bryce Williams (Maple Grove, Minn./Spring Lake Park) hit a trio of threes for nine points.
 
Bublitz scored five of UWSP's first six points as the Pointers held an early 6-3 lead.  UWRF put up a 9-2 run to go up by four six minutes in.  Williams hit his first triple and a Canon O'Heron (Bangor, Wis./Bangor) bucket put UWSP back up by one.
 
Just past the midpoint of the first half, Bublitz again scored to tie the game at 18-18.  The visiting Falcons ended the half on a 17-6 run as the Pointers trailed by 11 at the break.
 
Senior Aaron Retzlaff (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) hit four-straight free throws to open the second half as UWSP cut the deficit to seven.  An 11-0 run by UWRF was ended as Williams drained a three snapping a six-and-a-half minute drought from the field to open the second half.
 
MJ Delmore (Wisconsin Dells, Wis./Wisconsin Dells) ended another scoreless streak with 8:39 remaining, but the Falcons had put the Pointers in a 26-point hole by that point.  Senior Brad Freeborn (River Falls, Wis./River Falls) scored five points down the stretch and freshman Matt Koerner (West Bend, Wis./West) scored his first collegiate points.  Another senior, Jared Gjertson (Wausau, Wis./D.C. Everest), gave the fans a late reason to cheer with a steal and a breakaway dunk in the closing seconds.
 
The Pointers head to UW-Oshkosh on Wednesday to begin a two-game road trip.  UWSP will close the season with three of the final four games at home beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 8 versus UW-Whitewater.