STEVENS POINT - The UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team dominated UW-Superior on Thursday night at Bennett Court and cruised to an 84-52 victory on their way to the WIAC Tournament Championship.
It was a dunk by Scott Hoelzel at 14:07 in the first half that catapulted the Pointers (23-3) to their 11th straight victory and kept their undefeated record at home in tact. The Pointers took a two point lead with the put-back dunk by Hoelzel and would stay ahead for the remainder of the game.
Stevens Point got a huge lift from Jordan Giordana off the bench as he finished with 17 points. Giordana had 15 of his points come from three-point range finishing with a career-high five three's. The Pointers made 10 three-pointers as a team, shooting 53 percent (10-19.)
Louis Hurd led all Pointers with 22 points as he converted on four of his six attempts from three. Hurd also finished with eight rebounds. Nick Krull also collected eight rebounds himself to go along with his team-high three steals.
Jerrel Harris also finished in double-figures with 15 points, while finishing seven of eight from the free throw line.
The Yellowjackets (15-12) were led by Dan Culy, who finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Jake Smith, who is the third leading scorer in the WIAC this season, was held to just five points on just one made field goal.
UW-Stevens Point will be making its eighth appearance in the WIAC Tournament Championship Game. The Pointers hold a strong 6-1 record in tournament championship games.
The Pointers look to secure an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Basketball Tournament with a win on Saturday afternoon. They will host UW-River Falls (20-6) who is making their first appearance ever in the WIAC championship game. The Pointers split the season series with the Falcons with each team winning on their home court.
The WIAC championship game is set for 3 pm on Saturday afternoon at Bennett Court.