La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's basketball team dropped its Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) home opener with a 76-58 loss to UW-Stevens Point Saturday night in Mitchell Hall.  The Eagles fall to 9-4 overall and 1-1 in the WIAC while the Pointers improve to 7-5 overall and 1-1 in the conference.  UW-Stevens Point earned its 11th win in the last 13 meetings with UWL. 

UW-Stevens Point never trailed in the game, racing out to a 20-6 lead with 12:44 remaining after Bryce Williams' three-point play.  The Pointers made six of their first eight shots from the field, including going three-of-three from three-point range.  UWL cut the lead to 20-11 with 10:58 left on a Sean Wheeler layup, but UW-Stevens Point went on a 15-5 run to take its largest lead of the game at 35-16 with 5:02 remaining in the first half.  The Eagles trailed 42-24, but a pair of Zach Schradle free throws and Austin Fritz' three-point play cut the halftime lead to 42-29. 

The Pointers led 52-34 with 16:50 left on a Ethan Bublitz layup when the Eagles used a 9-2 run to cut the lead to 54-43 with 11:11 remaining after a Ben Meinholz three-pointer.  UWL cut the deficit to 62-55 with 4:39 left on a pair of Taulvish McCray free throws, but the Eagles could get no closer the rest of the game as the Pointers ended the game on a 14-3 run.

UWL shot 40.0% from the field, including 18.8% (three-of-16) from three-point range, and 65.2% (15-of-23) at the line.  Schradle recorded his sixth double-double of the season with a team-high 18 points and 12 rebounds. He went four-of-seven from the field and 10-of-15 at the free throw line.  The 15 free throw attempts is tied for sixth in single-game school history.  Don Peth (December 7, 1957 vs. St. Cloud State University, Minn.) and Steve Tracy (November 20, 1998 vs. Simpson College, Iowa) attempted a single-game school record 22 free throws. 

Austin Fritz totaled 12 points Saturday while Meinholz and McCray each finished with nine. McCray's nine points is a career-high. 

UW-Stevens Point shot 51.0% from the field, including 60.0% (15-of-25) in the first half.  The Pointers shot 47.4% (nine-of-19) from three-point range in the game (five-of-eight in the first half) and 71.4% (15-of-21) at the line.  MJ Delmore and Bublitz led five Pointers in double figures with 17 points each.  Williams finished with 13 points while Drew Fredrickson added 11 and Aaron Retzlaff 10. 

UWL returns to action Wednesday, January 11 hosting seventh-ranked UW-Eau Claire at 7 p.m.