STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The St. Olaf College men's basketball team rallied from an 11-point deficit by scoring 47 points after the break in a 76-63 road victory over UW-Stevens Point in its season opener on Wednesday night at Bennett Court at Quandt Fieldhouse.

UW-Stevens Point (0-1) led 42-31 a minute and a half into the second half, but St. Olaf (1-0) shot 62.1 percent (18-for-29) in the second half to rally for the 13-point win. The Oles broke a 55-55 tie with 6:59 to go with a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to pull away late for their fifth win in the last eight meetings with the Pointers dating back to the 2014-15 season.

Junior Connor Martin led the way for St. Olaf with a game-high 23 points on 10-for-14 shooting to go with six rebounds and eight assists. Martin was one of four Oles in double figures in the game, including first year Kobe Kirk, who provided 15 points off the bench. Fifth-year senior Nathan Hendler added 11 points and seven rebounds, while senior Brendan Kauls was 5-for-5 from the field to contribute 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.

UW-Stevens Point scored the game's first five points and led for 15:03 of the first half. A three-pointer by Kirk with 14:18 left in the opening half gave St. Olaf a 12-8 lead, but the hosts went on an extended 18-4 run over the next six minutes to open up a 26-16 lead with 8:19 to go in the half.

With the Oles trailing by double figures, Martin ignited a 10-0 run by scoring six-straight points before setting up a Kauls layup with 4:52 left to tie the game at 26-26. The Pointers had an answer, however, closing the half on an 11-3 run the rest of the way to take a 37-29 lead into the locker room. UW-Stevens Point shot 54.2 percent (13-for-24) from the field in the opening 20 minutes.

A three-point play by Brennan Timm with 18:27 remaining in the second half gave the Pointers their largest lead of the game at 42-31 before St. Olaf chipped away at the lead. Still down by nine at 53-44 with 11:39 to go, the Oles scored 11-straight points to grab a 55-53 lead – its first lead since the 13:14 mark of the first half – following a three-point play by Kauls with 7:20 left. St. Olaf held UW-Stevens Point scoreless for nearly five minutes during the run.

After the Pointers tied the game at 55-55 on the next possession, Kirk hit a three-pointer followed by a pull-up jumper to start the decisive 10-0 run that gave the Oles a 65-55 lead with 4:00 to play. UW-Stevens Point trimmed its deficit to 67-61 with 2:16 remaining but could get no closer as St. Olaf hit 5-for-6 free throws down the stretch.

In addition to shooting 62.1 percent (18-for-29) after the break, the Oles limited the Pointers to 28.1 percent (9-for-32) shooting, including 8.3 percent (1-for-12) from behind the arc, over the final 20 minutes. St. Olaf also enjoyed advantages of 18-7 in second-chance points and 46-28 in points in the paint in the game.

Martin scored 15 of his 23 points in the second half and also had four assists after the break. Kirk and Kauls combined for 16 points off the bench during the second-half rally.

St. Olaf hosts UW-Eau Claire in its home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at Bob Gelle Court at Skoglund Center.