STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Junior Carly Cerrato (De Pere, Wis./De Pere) tied a career-high with five made three-pointers, but the UW-Stevens Point women's basketball team (4-5) came up short in a 87-76 loss to visiting Carthage (6-4) in the non-conference home finale on Thursday.
 
Cerrato led the Pointers with a game-high 20 points with five of her six field goals coming from behind the arc.  She also led UWSP with seven rebounds and three assists.
 
Sophomore Bailee Collins (Milton, Wis./Milton) and Brooke Geier (Kewaunee, Wis./Kewaunee) were also in double-figure scoring with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
 
Geier scored the first five UWSP points as the Pointers played from behind early.  Erin Nyhus (Brodhead, Wis./Brodhead) buried a three, but the Pointers trailed 17-8 after the first quarter.
 
Collins scored a bucket early in the second, but a 6-0 run by the Lady reds pushed the deficit to double digits.  Collins nailed a triple near the midpoint of the quarter to cut the Carthage lead to 25-17.  Jessica Slowik (Elcho, Wis./Elcho) and Kellan Schmidt (Edgerton, Wis./Edgerton) each scored in the final 1:11 as UWSP closed the half on a 9-4 spurt to close to within 29-26.
 
Cerrato hit four times from behind the arc in the third quarter and Taylor Greenheck (Sauk Prairie, Wis./Sauk Prairie) buried a late triple, but the Lady Reds scored 29 in the period to put the Pointers behind 58-48 heading to the fourth.
 
Nyhus hit from deep in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but nine-straight points by Carthage had the Pointers down 15.  Amber Baehman (Plainfield, Wis. /Tri-County) hit a three as UWSP made a late push.  Geier and Cerrato also hit from three-point range, but the Lady Reds made 17-of-19 free throws and UWSP only got to within eight late.
 
The Pointers travel to Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 27 and 29 for the D3Hoop.com Classic to play Willamette and Amherst.