Krull swished four three-pointers in the first eight minutes of the second half and finished with a game-high 19 points, while Krautkramer added eight key points in 12 minutes off the bench as the nation’s top-ranked team clinched the outright Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship for the 10th time in school history.
UW-Stevens Point, which is now 21-2 overall and 14-1 in the WIAC, opened up an early 15-4 lead, but did so without the aid of a three-pointer despite entering the country ranked seventh in most three-pointers made. Sophomore sharpshooter Pete Rortvedt was snugly defended all night by the Pioneers and broke free for two quick threes on back-to-back possessions in the first half that put the Pointers ahead 26-16 with seven minutes left in the first half. Rortvedt added a layup late in the game to finish with eight points.
UW-Platteville closed the first half with a 13-2 run with Mark Gossens converting a three-point play with three seconds left for a 29-28 halftime lead.
Krull jump-started the Pointers in the second half, connecting on his first four three-point attempts to get UW-Stevens Point back out in front. After a layup by Krautkramer put the Pointers ahead, the Pioneers tied the game at 48-48 with on two free throws by Gossens with 10:05 left. Perhaps the turning point came at the 8:25 mark when Pointers’ forward Drew Jackson stripped the ball at midcourt and finished the layup at the other end to spark a 7-1 run. Following a missed Pioneers’ shot, Khalifa El-Amin buried a three-pointer for a 53-48 lead.
UW-Platteville made just one field goal in a span of over 10 minutes late in the second half before scoring a pair of baskets in the final minute. UW-Stevens Point had another key possession with 3:09 left in the game when Bryan Beamish backed his defender into the lane and made a spin move for a three-point play and a 59-52 lead.
El-Amin added 14 points and four assists for the Pointers, who had just five turnovers and were seven-for-seven at the free throw line in the last four minutes. UW-Stevens Point shot 50.0 percent for the game and finished eight-for-15 from three-point range.
Gossens led UW-Platteville with 16 points and Bo Richter added 10 points. The Pioneers, who are now 13-10 overall and 8-7 in the WIAC, had 17 turnovers and shot 46.9 percent. UW-Platteville held a commanding edge on the boards with a 34-21 rebounding advantage, including 19-11 in the second half.