News Release

STEVENS POINT, Wis. — It didn’t take a buzzer beater this time, but it nearly did to get the UW-Stevens Point men’s basketball team back to the NCAA Division III semifinals.

The Pointers, who had their three previous sectional championship games decided on shots at the final horn, fought off a pesky Trinity (Texas) team in the final minutes to secure a 61-55 victory on Saturday at the Quandt Fieldhouse. UW-Stevens Point advances to face York (Pa.) in the national semifinals on Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern time in Salem, Va.

“To be able to win a game like this, that was a true definition of a gut-check,” Pointers’ coach Jack Bennett. “I can’t say enough about the way these guys executed down the stretch.”

With the game tied at 50-50 with 2:28 left, Pointers’ senior Kyle Grusczynski hit a left-handed scooping layup in the lane to put the Pointers ahead. Trinity worked the ball into 6-10 center Sean Devins, who missed a short shot and Nick Bennett rebounded for the Pointers.

Bennett then drove the baseline and, while being fouled, tossed up a shot with two seconds left on the shot clock that sat on the rim for nearly two full seconds before falling through. He converted the free throw for a 55-50 lead with 1:41 remaining. Jason Morris hit two free throws for the Tigers to pull Trinity within three and the Tigers had a chance to tie after forcing a turnover with 48 seconds left.

Morris, who had a team-high 20 points, then had an open look from the top of the key, but missed and Krull grabbed the rebound with 36 seconds remaining.

UW-Stevens Point sealed the game at the free throw line, hitting all seven attempts in the final 1:41 of the game.

“It was one of those grind-it-out kind of games,” Pointers’ forward Jason Kalsow said. “We have total confidence in our system and people stepped it up and made plays.”

UW-Stevens Point finished the season 18-0 at home and Saturday’s game was the first decided by fewer than 10 points. In fact, it was only the Pointers’ second game all season - win or lose - decided by eight points or less. However, Jack Bennett eluded to the Pointers’ close games in previous tournaments and another raucous crowd to carry them through.

“You can’t be this good under pressure without being in the fire,” Jack Bennett said. “We ignited it with some plays, but this crowd took it over the top.”

“We’ve never played in front of anything like this,” Morris said of the crowd. “I just tried to use this energy and pretend they were cheering for me rather than against me.”

UW-Stevens Point opened up an early lead and led 28-19 with 2:52 left in the half, but Trinity closed the half with five straight points as Chad Stroberg hit a three-pointer at the buzzer. The Tigers had nine offensive rebounds at the half, but just two in the second half.

Trinity took the lead on a three-pointer by Morris at 33-32 with 14:16 left on the first of eight lead changes in the second half. Neither team led by more than four points until Bennett’s three-point play put the Pointers up by five points.

Bennett had 28 points and was named the tournament Most Valuable Player while passing Terry Porter for fourth place on the school’s all-time scoring list. Kalsow and Eric Maus were also on the all-tournament team. Kalsow finished with eight points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, but had a streak of 63 games scoring in double figures come to an end.

Morris also was an all-tournament pick along with Peter Murray, who had 12 points and seven rebounds. Devins had six points and 10 rebounds while affecting nearly every inside play by the Pointers.

For UW-Stevens Point, it will be the Pointers’ second trip to the semifinals as they look to become the first team to repeat as champion since UW-Platteville in 1998-99. The Pointers are now 14-3 in NCAA tournament games in Jack Bennett’s nine seasons.

“This is really special,” Nick Bennett said. “I remember when I was a senior in high school and talking with my dad we hoped we could get our program to this kind of level. I really feel like we have one of the best programs in the country and it’s great to be able to play at this level.”