STEVENS POINT, Wis.- The UW-Stevens Point women's basketball team (9-15, 4-9) battled back from a six-point halftime deficit to force overtime, but came up a point short in a 72-71 loss to UW-Stout (15-9, 6-7) in the regular season home finale.
Junior
Taylor Greenheck (Sauk Prairie, Wis./Sauk Prairie) led all scorers with 17 points and tied for the team lead with four rebounds. Fellow junior
Kellan Schmidt (Edgerton, Wis./Edgerton) added 15 points and four boards.
Amber Baehman (Plainfield, Wis./Tri-County) and
Carly Cerrato (De Pere, Wis./De Pere) were also in double figures with 11 points apiece.
The first quarter saw the teams traded leads with neither leading by more than two points at any time. Cerrato scored the final five points of the stanza for UWSP as the teams were tied 17-17 after one.
The Blue Devils used a trio of short runs in the second quarter to pull ahead by six at the break, 36-30.
Erin Moran (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central),
Jessica Slowik (Elcho, Wis./Elcho) and Baehman each had a field goal in the period.
Bailee Collins (Milton, Wis./Milton) opened the third quarter with four-straight as UWSP used an 8-0 run to take a 38-36 lead. Baehman hit a three late to snap an 8-2 run by Stout, but UWSP trailed by five heading to the fourth.
Greenheck poured in UWSP's first four points and Slowik drained a three, but the Pointers still faced a two-possession deficit. Cerrato nailed a three midway through as UWSP got within one, but the Blue Devils kept the lead until a pair of free throws by Greenheck capped a four-point personal streak for a 63-62 lead. After Baehman hit a pair of free throws, the Blue Devils tied the game with 1:54 remained and the game went to overtime.
Schmidt gave the Pointers a four-point lead with a layup with 1:32 left in the extra session. The Blue Devils scored the next basket and a three with eight seconds left sealed the one-point win for the visitors.
The Pointers wrap up the regular season on the road on Saturday (Feb. 22) at UW-Platteville. Tip-off is slated for 3:00 p.m. and the winner will secure the final spot in next week's WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver's).
