The Pointer UW-Stevens Point Student Newspaper
Buzzer Beater Propels Men’s Basketball to Victory
On Saturday, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men’s basketball team pulled out a 74-72 victory over No. 12 Hope College after sophomore Mark Nelson hit a game-winning shot with seconds remaining on the clock.
With just under four seconds remaining in regulation and the score tied at 72, the Pointers drove down the court where Nelson captured the team’s fourth straight win with a clutch go ahead basket.
Nelson finished with 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds in the winning effort. Sophomore Ethan Bublitz recorded a new career-high in points with a 24-point outing, while junior MJ Delmore piled on another 19 points in the win.
After a slow start for the Pointers, Nelson and Delmore hit three threes during an 11-point run putting UWSP ahead 20-10 in the first half.
Hope went on an 8-0 run bringing the score within two, but late contributions from Bublitz and Delmore gave Point a 36-34 advantage going into halftime.
After trading baskets to start the second half, UWSP found itself up seven points before the Flying Dutchmen closed the gap to one point following six-straight points.
The Pointers trailed for only one possession down the stretch and 10 points in 10 minutes from Bublitz kept the Pointers in the game before the buzzer beater from Nelson to seal the win.
Next up, UWSP will travel to play defending national champion St. Thomas on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Strong Showings Over Weekend for Men’s Hockey
UWSP men’s hockey faced off with No. 2 Adrian twice this past weekend starting on Friday where the teams tied 4-4 to open play.
In the first period, UWSP came out hot as senior Lawrence Cornellier scored first putting the Pointers up 1-0. At 10:23 into the period, junior Willem Nong-Lambert tallied Point’s second goal to go up 2-0.
Shortly after, Adrian scored on a power play opportunity cutting the Pointer lead in half going into the second period.
In the early going of the second, Adrian tied the score up before Cornellier netted a shorthanded goal putting the Pointers back up by one.
The No. 4 Pointer men’s hockey team celebrates after senior forward Kyle Sharkey’s goal against No. 2 Adrian College on Saturday, Dec. 10 at K.B. Willett Arena. Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen.
Minutes later, senior Eliot Grauer scored on a power play to extend the Pointer’s lead back to two before heading into the final period.
At the midway point in the third, Adrian cut back into the lead with a goal of their own. With under six minutes to play, Adrian scored again to force an overtime that saw neither team get back out in front.
Junior goaltender Max Milosek recorded 21 saves in a game where the Pointers out-shot the Bulldogs 31-25.
In Saturday’s game, a late third period goal from Nong-Lambert sealed a 4-3 victory in the rematch with Adrian.
In an action-packed first period, it was Adrian jumping out in front in the early going before back-to-back goals from senior Kyle Sharkey and sophomore Stephan Beauvais put the Pointers up 2-1. Adrian scored again to tie the game before heading into the second period.
Sophomore Ethan Strong gave UWSP a 3-2 advantage in the second frame with a score coming on a power play opportunity.
Adrian, not going away, followed up the Pointer goal with one of their own to again tie the game before heading into the final period.
Assists from sophomores Tanner Karty and Ryan Bittner led to Nong-Lambert’s deciding goal to put the Pointers back up by a point for the victory.
UWSP again out-shot Adrian, this time 33-31. Milosek picked up the victory with 28 saves for the Pointers.
The Pointers resume play on Jan. 6 when they travel to play St. Olaf.
Win Streak Halts at Three for Women’s Hockey
In a 1-0 victory against No. 10 Augsburg College, sophomore goaltender Sydney Conley recorded her first shutout of the season on Friday, Dec. 9 at Ice Hawks Arena. Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen.
In the first of two weekend games, the UWSP women’s hockey team came out on top 1-0 over No. 10 Augsburg in Friday’s low scoring affair.
Sophomore goalie Sydney Conley recorded her first shutout on the season after saving all 20 shots from the Auggies.
Late in the first, fellow sophomore Cara Lemirande powered home the lone goal of the game and her sixth goal on the season to give the Pointers the 1-0 advantage.
Pointer defense took over the rest of the game as Augsburg was unable to generate any offense.
On Saturday, UWSP squared up with Saint Mary’s University where despite having 39 shots on goal, the Pointers saw its three-game win streak come to an end after a 3-1 loss.
After a Cardinal goal in the first period, both teams were held in check until third period.
Lemirande tied the game at one mid-way through the third period but fresh out of a power play the Cardinals were able to score to go up 2-1.
The Pointers later fell victim to an empty net goal putting them down 3-1 and stellar goalie play from Saint Mary’s closed the book on any comeback effort for UWSP.
The Pointers will look to get back in the win column when the team begin a two-game series with St. Thomas starting on Dec. 17.
Swimming and Diving Sweeps Oshkosh Before Splitting with St. Olaf
On Friday, the Pointers swimming and diving teams swept UW-Oshkosh out of the UWSP Aquatic center after the men picked up a 135-65 win and the women a 134-107 win.
Highlights on the men’s end included the relay team of freshmen Riley Patton and Zach Jorgenson, sophomore Jackson Aton and senior Frank Peters finishing with a 3:43.59 time to win the 400-yard medley relay.
Jorgenson also claimed victories in the 200-yard butterfly and 500-yard freestyle, while Peters picked up a win in the 100-yard freestyle. Aton picked up nine points for UWSP after his 2:18.12 time earned him first place in the 200-yard backstroke.
For the women, freshman Murron Roff finished with a 11:51.87 time to take first in the 1000-yard freestyle to contribute nine points. Roff along with junior Erica Perkins and freshmen Kaila DuPont and Melissa Angove finished first in the 400-yard freestyle relay with posting a 3:51.60 time.
Junior Jackie Braun picked up a pair of wins in the one and three-meter diving events against UW-Oshkosh on Friday, Dec. 9 at UWSP Aquatics Center. Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen.
Senior Bree Parent picked up victories in the 200-yard IM and 200-yard breaststroke with times of 2:21.08 and 2:32.68, respectively.
Junior Jackie Braun claimed wins in the one and three-meter diving events with receiving scores of 239.05 and 325.05, respectively.
When the Pointers matched up with St. Olaf on Saturday, it was the men earning 227-71 win, while the women fell 194-103.
The 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relay team of sophomore Reilly Donnellan and juniors Jack Englehardt, Sam Jekel and Brandon Richardson won both events after posting times of 1:33.78 and 1:24.54, respectively. Englehardt’s 59.25 time earned him a win in the 100-yard breaststroke, while Jekel took the 100-yard freestyle with a 48.14 time.
Sophomore Nate Somer’s times of 10:02.68 in the 1000-yard freestyle and 4:53.66 in the 500-yard freestyle earned him victories in both as last year’s WIAC swimmer of the year helped pile on points for the men.
Junior Garrett Richetto won the 200-yard freestyle with a 1:46.90 time while freshman Jacob Aegerter claimed victories in the 200-yard butterfly and 200-yard IM with times of 2:00.47 and 2:02.12, respectively.
The only win for the women came from Parent as she earned a victory in the 200-yard breaststroke after posting a 2:33.42 time.
The Pointers will be back at it when they host the Point invite on Jan. 20-21.
Austin Krueger
Sports Editor
austin.krueger@uwsp.edu
