Pointers win at 11th-ranked Christopher Newport, play at home Saturday
Portage County Gazette
By John Kemmeter
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) men’s basketball team went to Virginia and knocked off a Final Four team from a year ago, as it beat 11th-ranked Christopher Newport Sunday, Dec. 1.
The Pointers used a three-point play in the closing seconds from senior guard Ethan Bublitz to rally from a double-digit deficit in the final two minutes and win 70-69 over Wilmington (Ohio) Saturday, Nov. 30, and then followed with a 61-58 win over Christopher Newport (6-2) Sunday afternoon to go 2-0 at the Hampton Marina Captains Classic in Newport News, Va., and improve to 5-0 on the season.
UWSP will be back home for a pair of nonconference games in the next week, as it is set to take on Hope (Mich.) at Bennett Court at Quandt Fieldhouse 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, and then host Bethel (Minn.) at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11.
“It was a great finish to a challenging stretch,” said UWSP men’s basketball head coach Bob Semling. “We still have a long ways to go, but it feels good to be 5-0, and to know that we beat a ranked team on their homecourt.”
Coming off wins over St. Olaf (77-59) and Edgewood (76-71) to open the season, the Pointers hit the road for another nonconference game at UW-Superior Tuesday, Nov. 26.
UWSP jumped out to a 13-2 lead on Superior (2-4) just under four minutes into the game and went into halftime with a 46-22 lead, on the way to a 69-53 victory.
Bublitz finished with 17 points and five rebounds, senior forward/center Matt Koerner was 4-of-5 on three-pointers and had 12 points and four rebounds, senior guard Aaron Knez scored 12 points, and senior forward Blake Ehrke totaled nine points, nine rebounds and five assists in the victory.
Following Thanksgiving, the Pointers traveled to Virginia for a pair of games in the Hampton Marina Captains Classic last weekend, where they opened against Wilmington (1-5) Saturday afternoon.
UWSP fell behind 27-9 with 6:28 to play in the first half, before it went on an 18-3 run to pull within 30-27 at halftime.
Wilmington led throughout the second half as it built a 58-39 advantage with 8:21 left, and maintained a 12-point advantage at 66-54 with just under two minutes to play, when Bublitz scored on a three-point play and also knocked down a pair of free throws, and sophomore guard Zach Mootz hit back-to-back three-pointers to bring UWSP within 68-65 with 31 seconds remaining.
After Wilmington missed a pair of free throws, senior forward Brandon Spray scored on a layup with 18 seconds to go to make it 68-67, and Wilmington made the second of two free throws with 10 seconds left to go up 69-67.
On the next possession, Bublitz was fouled as he hit a jumper in the lane with 2.9 seconds to play, and he proceeded to knock down the free throw to give the Pointers a 70-69 lead, and Wilmington missed a three-pointer at the buzzer to give UWSP a 70-69 victory.
Bublitz went 18-of-18 from the free-throw line to set a school record, as he scored a career-high 28 points and added four steals, while Ehrke had 12 points to go along with nine rebounds and four blocks, Mootz scored 11 points off the bench, and Spray added 10 points and six rebounds.
“As poorly as we played, we had a response and fought back,” said Semling. “Ethan carried us, and then he had a lot of help down the stretch.
“Zach hit two big, back-to-back threes, and Ethan made free throws down the stretch,” he said. “And he made a big-time basket to win it.”
UWSP was back Sunday afternoon to take on tournament host Christopher Newport, and the Pointers got out to a 12-0 lead just over six minutes into the game and went into halftime with a 26-22 advantage.
UWSP used a 9-0 run early in the second half to extend its lead to 40-29 with 14:06 to play, and went up 57-48 with 3:48 remaining after a three-pointer from Bublitz, but Christopher Newport followed with an 8-0 run to close within 57-56 with 1:17 left.
After both teams traded a pair of free throws, Bublitz knocked down two more free throws with six seconds to go, and Christopher Newport missed a halfcourt shot at the buzzer, as the Pointers pulled out a 61-58 win.
Bublitz totaled 25 points and five rebounds, Spray had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Ehrke finished with eight points, 11 rebounds and six steals in the victory.
“It was a great start, and we knew they were going to punch back and have a response,” said Semling. “But we countered them and had a really solid first half.
“And really it was pretty similar in the second half,” he said. “They had a big charge at the end, and we held them off.”
The Pointers will be back home Saturday afternoon to play Hope (4-1), which has been led this season by 6-6 junior center Preston Granger (17.8 points, 8.4 rebounds per game), 5-11 senior point guard Riley Lewis (15.4 points, 3.4 assists) and 6-4 freshman guard Evan Thomas (11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 55.0 percent on three-pointers).
“Hope is an NCAA Tournament team, they always are talented, they always execute, and they can score,” said Semling whose team won 82-74 at Hope last year. “They really shoot it well and score inside, and put great pressure on our defense.”
UWSP will play at home again Wednesday for a nonconference game against Bethel (3-2), which has been led this season by 6-1 senior guard Jack Jenson (13.8 points, 5.2 assists), 6-4 senior guard Granger Kingland (13.0 points, 7.6 rebounds), 6-4 junior forward Chandler Wellman (10.8 points, 5.2 rebounds) and 6-4 junior forward Isaiah Carver-Bagley (10.4 points).
“Bethel has been in the upper third in the MIAC, and they’ve been a team that is right on the cusp of making the NCAA Tournament,” said Semling. “It’s great to start a new series, we don’t know a whole lot about them, and they don’t know a whole lot about us.”
Following the win over Christopher Newport, the Pointers stayed in Virginia until they flew home Tuesday, Dec. 3, as part of their trip included a visit to the facilities for the reigning NCAA Division 1 National Champion University of Virginia men’s basketball team.
There, they met up with current Virginia assistant coach and former Pacelli High School and UWSP men’s basketball player Brad Soderberg, as well as former SPASH standout Sam Hauser, who is sitting out this season after he transferred to Virginia from Marquette.
“Sam heard we were coming in, a couple of the guys know him well, so he hung out with our guys during that tour,” said Semling. “He’s doing great, and they love him there.
“Brad spent 45 minutes with our guys and talked to them, and had some really interesting things to share with them about UVA and his experience, but then a lot about being a Pointer and playing here,” he said. “He showed us around, and that was the highlight for our guys. They got to shoot around at John Paul Jones Arena, right down on the game floor, and they got to take a picture with Brad. That was unique and special, and something those guys will never forget.”