Box Score The UWRF men's basketball team fell to the #1 nationally ranked University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers, 65-48, on Saturday evening in Stevens Point, Wis.
Holding the #1 team in the nation to 65 points on the road is a small victory for the 6-10 Falcons. UWRF was simply outshot as the Pointers drained 48.1 percent of their field goals, while the Falcons shot only 37.5 percent. Field goal percentage and rebounding were the keys for the Pointers victory; UWRF was outrebounded 36-24 overall and 12-4 on the offensive glass. Stevens Point's 65 points is their third lowest scoring output of the season.
The Falcons held the Pointers without a field for eight minutes and 14 seconds late in the second half but failed to make any ground due to Stevens Point's tenacious defense.
Senior small forward
Ben Gresmer, senior power forward
Ollie White and freshman point guard
Grant Erickson led the Falcons with nine points each. Junior shooting guard
Jay Sewer added eight points and led the team with five assists. Gresmer led the way with six rebounds. Erickson shot 3-5 from the field, adding three rebounds and two assists.
Neither squad seemed to have any magic behind the arc as UWRF finished 6-19 and the Pointers went 5-19 from three point land. The turnover battle was narrowly won by the Pointers, 15-14.
Despite the lob-sided defeat, the Falcons held an 11-9 lead with 16:03 left to play following a nifty Erickson layup. It was Erickson and White who started the contest by hitting the first two three's attempted, momentarily pushing the lead to 6-3.
After a heavy Pointers rally the Falcons still only trailed by five with 6:43 left in the first after a tricky White layup, but Stevens Point finished the half with a 14-6 run.
The Pointers largest lead in the first half was 14, as UWRF trailed 40-27 heading into the second.
Sewer opened the second half with a speedy layup to cut the lead to 11, but Stevens Point successfully put the game in cruise control. The Falcons never seemed to cut into the Stevens Point lead. The Pointers' largest lead was 18.
Falcons senior forward
Zach Smith went 2-3 from the field, scoring six points, while senior forward
David Berthene scored five and rebounded two.
The Pointers were led by junior Joe Ritchay who scored 14 points and rebounded 12 basketballs. Senior center Clayton Heuer also had 14 points and finished with five rebounds. Senior guard Tyler Tillema added 11 points.
The Falcons fall to 6-10 overall, 1-6 in the WIAC, 0-5 on the road and have now lost four straight. Stevens Point improves to 16-0 overall, 7-0 in the WIAC and 8-0 at home.
The Falcons look to rebound against the University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets (5-11) on Wednesday evening at the Karges Center; the tip is at 7 p.m.
Box Score
