RIVER FALLS, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team (14-13) nearly erased a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes of regulation, but the game-tying three came after the buzzer in an 82-79 loss at UW-River Falls (15-11) in the WIAC Tournament semifinals (presented by Culver's).
 
Malik Abdul-Wahid (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield Central) led the Pointers in scoring with 15 points. Josiah Butler (Appleton, Wis./Fox Valley Lutheran) and Logan Baumgartner (Medford, Wis./Medford) were also in double figures with 14 and 11, respectively. Butler led the Pointers with five rebounds.
 
Abdul-Wahid scored the Pointers' first five points and UWSP tried to dig out of an early 8-0 hole. Cal Krohn (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West) added four points and Baumgartner buried a three to get UWSP within 15-12. Ryan Genrich (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) hit a jumper as the Pointers got within three again at 21-18.
 
Baumgartner hit two more three-pointers in the first half and Abdul-Wahid completed an and-one late, but the Pointers trailed, 41-31, at halftime.
 
Butler nailed a three to cap an 8-0 run to start the second half for the Pointers. The Falcons extended the lead to 12 before Butler, Genrich and Abdul-Wahid combined for seven-straight. Seth Miron (Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) scored six consecutive UWSP points, but the deficit sat at 58-53 with 9:58 to go.
 
Butler and Bolden hit back-to-back threes as the Pointers cut the lead down to 66-63 with just under five minutes left. UWRF pushed the lead back to 10 at 76-66 with 1:48 remaining. Abdul-Wahid and Butler combined for nine points and UWSP had a chance to tie at the buzzer. Bolden made a running three that would have tied the game, but he got it off after the horn sounded.
 
The Pointers finish with 14 wins, the most since UWSP had 15 in 2019-20. Abdul-Wahid and Butler led the Pointers in scoring this season with 14.1 and 13.6 points per game, respectively.