After missing their first field goal attempt of the game, the Pointers connected on 11 straight field goal tries to build a 25-13 lead just 7:02 into the contest. The hot start continued the rest of the half as UW-Stevens Point bolted to a 57-36 halftime advantage and was 23-for-30 from the field for 76.7 percent. The halftime total was more points than the Pointers had in their most recent game – a 72-55 loss to UW-Oshkosh last week.
The Pointers, ranked third in the NCAA Division III, are now 17-2 overall and 10-1 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They hold a two-game lead in the league standings with five games remaining following UW-La Crosse’s win at UW-Oshkosh on Wednesday. UW-Eau Claire is now 9-11 overall and 3-9 in the WIAC after being swept in the season series by the Pointers for the sixth straight year.
All five starters scored in double figures for the Pointers, who were led by Pete Rortvedt’s 25 points. Normally the Pointers’ biggest long-range threat, Rortvedt showed off his inside game by shooting eight-for-nine from two-point range, including six-for-six in the first half. Several of his baskets came off cuts and passes from Khalifa El-Amin, who finished with 10 points and 11 assists. El-Amin’s assists total was a career high and the best by any WIAC player this season.
Steve Hicklin scored all 14 of his points in the first half and the nation’s top three-point shooter connected on his first four shots from behind the arc. Jon Krull added 14 points and seven assists, while Bryan Beamish had 10 points. The Pointers lead the country in assist-turnover ratio and showed their proficiency with the ball again Wednesday with 23 assists against just eight turnovers.
UW-Eau Claire’s Dan Beyer had 27 points and 10 rebounds as the Blugolds never let the Pointers go on a big run as UW-Stevens Point built its commanding lead gradually throughout the game. The Pointers scored seven straight points early in the second half for a 64-38 lead and led by at least 25 points the rest of the way. UW-Stevens Point’s biggest lead was an 84-49 advantage with 6:07 remaining when El-Amin drove the lane and dished his 11th assist to Jeremy Krull for a layup.
UW-Stevens Point shot just 41.9 percent in the second half to finish at 59.0 percent for the game. UW-Eau Claire shot 46.0 percent and was just three-for-15 from three-point range.