LA CROSSE, Wis. – Senior
Brady Wagner (Lake Mills, Wis./Lake Mills) posted a career-high 20 points, but it wasn't enough as the UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team (4-17) came up short, 74-70, in the WIAC Tournament quarterfinals (presented by Culver's) at UW-La Crosse (20-5).
Wagner was red-hot from behind the arc making six of his seven shots from long range.
Jake Buchanan (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) also shot well from three-point range going 5-for-10 and totaled 19 points. All told, the Pointers hit a season-high 15 three-pointers.
Garrett Nelson (Beaver Dam, Wis./Beaver Dam) was the third UWSP player in double figures with 10.
Darrius Bolden (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet) led the Pointers in rebounds with nine and assists with four.
Brennan Timm (West Bend, Wis./West) and Bolden scored on back-to-back possessions early for a 4-2 lead. Buchanan hit his first three to halt a 9-2 burst by the Eagles. Buchanan and Wagner each hit from behind the arc twice as UWSP crawled back to a 23-23 tie midway through the first half.
AJ Makinen (Waterford, Wis./Muskego) drilled a three and Wagner nailed another long ball as the Pointers built a 33-27 lead with 4:57 left in the first half. Buchanan made a layup during a 9-2 UWL run to end the half as UWSP fell behind 38-35 at the break.
Zach Mootz (Merrill, Wis./Merrill) scored five-straight to open the second half as UWSP tied it up again at 40-40. Nelson buried a three and completed an and-one for a 46-44 lead. The Eagles reeled off the next 11 points until a Wagner three stopped the spurt with 12:20 left.
Seven more by UWL put UWSP down 13 with 9:23 remaining. Buchanan and Wagner combined for eight points and Bolden hit a three-pointer as the Pointers cut the lead to 64-60 with 6:01 to go.
The Eagles scored the next six points to lead by 10 with 3:38 remaining, but the Pointers made one final push. Nelson made a layup, Wagner hit another three and Buchanan made it a one-possession game with a layup. After a UWL free throw, Buchanan splashed a triple to get UWSP within one with 56 ticks left. The Eagles eked out the win with three made free throws in six attempts.
Nelson concludes his career with 883 points in 109 games. The 15 made three-pointers on Tuesday tied for the sixth-most in a single game in program history.
