WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team (6-3) saw the third-ranked Augustana Vikings (9-1) use a 20-3 first-half run to pull away in an eventual defeat to the Vikings, 74-58, in Wisconsin Dells on Friday.
 
Junior Brett Tauber (Madison, Wis./Memorial) was the lone Pointer in double figures with a team-high 12 points.  He had a team-best six rebounds in the game.
 
Mark Nelson (Madison, Wis./Monona Grove) added nine points and senior MJ Delmore (Wisconsin Dells, Wis./Wisconsin Dells) put home eight points.  Both grabbed two rebounds. 
 
Tauber scored UWSP's first five points of the game and four-straight by Delmore gave the Pointers a 9-7 lead.  Nate Dodge (East Troy, Wis./East Troy) drilled a three to give UWSP a 14-12 edge, but a 20-3 run by Augustana followed as the Pointers suffered through a five-minute drought from the field.
 
Brandon Spray (Prairie Du Sac, Wis./Sauk Prairie) ended the drought with a layup at 7:06 of the first.  Three-pointers by Drew Fredrickson (Mount Horeb, Wis./Mount Horeb), Nelson and Matt Koerner (West Bend, Wis./West) cut the deficit to 13 at the half.
 
Tauber scored three minutes in the second half to cut the lead to 11.  The Vikings, though, continued to pour it on with a 21-8 run over the next nine minutes to put the Pointers down by 24.
 
Blake Ehrke (Deerfield, Wis./Deerfield) got on the score sheet with four points as UWSP attempted a comeback.  Fredrickson hit a three and Koko Songolo (Madison, Wis./Memorial) added a bucket, but the deficit was too steep to overcome.
 
The Pointers head to Las Vegas for the D3Hoops Classic where UWSP will face No. 13 Wartburg on Dec. 28 and No. 1 Whitman on Dec. 29.  Tip-off for both games is set for 6:00 p.m. PT.