STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Stephen Pelkofer (Hales Corner, WI/Whitnall) scored a career-high 20 points and the eighth-ranked UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team held 11th-ranked Emory to a season-low point total to advance to the Elite 8 with a 73-53 victory over the Eagles on Friday night at Bennett Court at Quandt Fieldhouse.

UW-Stevens Point (24-5) and Emory (22-6) were meeting in the Round of 16 for the second year in a row but the Pointers led wire-to-wire to advance to face East Texas Baptist, which defeated Northwestern (Minn.) 70-46 earlier in the night. UWSP is in the Elite 8 for the first time since 2010.

The Pointers improve to 9-4 all-time in the sectional rounds and 6-2 in the Round of 16. UWSP is now 33-10 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and 15-4 at home.

After the teams were tied 9-9 early on, UW-Stevens Point went on an 11-2 run, highlighted by a Pelkofer dunk, to take a 20-11 lead. Emory scored the next three points but UWSP went on a 10-2 run to lead 30-16.

The Pointers took a 30-20 lead into the break after shooting 48.1 percent from the field in the half, compared to 33.3 percent at the break. The Eagles committed 12 turnovers in the first half, which helped UW-Stevens Point claim a 12-4 edge in points off turnovers.

Emory never got closer than 10 points in the second half and UW-Stevens Point led by as many as 23 in the final minute. The Pointers made three-straight shots as part of a quick 7-0 run to extend their lead to 45-27 with 12:49 to go and led by at least 13 the rest of the way.

UWSP shot 54.2 percent in the second half to finish at 51.0 percent for the game, while Emory shot just 36.2 percent on the night. The Pointers held University Athletic Association (UAA) Player of the Year Alex Foster to 4-for-14 shooting and Foster finished with 12 points and eight rebounds to finish as one of four Eagles in double figures.

Pelkofer shot 8-for-14 from the floor, including 4-for-8 from behind the arc, on his way to a career-best 20 points. Austin Ryf(Winneconne, WI/Winneconne) scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half and added five rebounds, six assists and three steals.

Jordan Lutz (Amherst, WI/Amherst) scored 10 points, while Alex Richard (Spring Green, WI/River Valley) and Sean McGann (Baraboo, WI/Baraboo) each pitched in with nine. The Pointers shot 8-for-19 (42.1 percent) from behind the arc, while the Eagles were just 3-for-19 (15.8 percent).

Josh Schattie led Emory with 14 points, while Michael Florin had 12 points and three assists. Will Trawick was the fourth Eagle in double figures with 10 points. Outside of the four double-digit scorers, UWSP held the rest of Emory's team to five points.

UW-Stevens Point has never faced East Texas Baptist but the teams will play at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 for a place in the Final Four in Salem, Va.