Pointer notes Men's basketball (18-5 overall, 9-5 WIAC): The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UW-SP) Pointers pulled into a tie for third place, and sit just one game behind WIAC leader UW-La Crosse after two exciting victories last week. On Saturday, Feb. 9, the Pointers thwarted a comeback bid by UW-Oshkosh when Neal Krajnik (Manitowoc) made one of two free throw attempts with 1.5 seconds left to lift the Pointers to a 74-73 victory. Josh Iserloth (Plymouth) led the team with 28 points. Kalonji Kadima (Milwaukee) scored 16 points. Wednesday, Feb. 6, the Pointers got 28 points from Iserloth and 25 points from Kadima as they defeated UW-Eau Claire, 85-79. Krajnik had a team-high seven assists, and Jason Kalsow (Huntley, Ill.) scored 14 points and had seven assists. UW-SP, which is ranked 16th in the NCAA Division III, can keep hope alive for its third straight WIAC Championship with a pair of home games to close the regular season. The Pointers were scheduled to play UW-River Falls on Wednesday, Feb. 13 and will play host to UW-Superior at 7 p.m. at Quandt Fieldhouse on Saturday, Feb 16. The game will be preceded by the Alumni Basketball game at 5 p.m. Women's basketball (21-2 overall, 12-2 WIAC): The Pointers locked up the second seed for the WIAC Tournament with victories over UW-Eau Claire and UW-Oshkosh last week. The Pointers, ranked 10th in the NCAA, used a 20-1 run over the last eight and a half minutes of the first half to open up a 38-22 lead over the Blugolds. Carry Boehning (Auburndale) and Amie Schultz (Appleton) combined to score 14 points during that run. Boehning finished as the leading scorer with 16 points. The Pointers celebrated Senior Day on Saturday, Feb. 2, by downing UW-Oshkosh, 68-51. Andrea Kraemer (Waukesha) hit all four of her three-point attempts and finished with a game-high 16 points. Kari Groshek (Rosholt) added 12 points and Cassandra Heuer (Two Rivers) scored 10 points in the win. The Pointers were scheduled to travel to UW-River Falls on Wednesday, Feb. 13, and travel to UW-Superior for a 3 p.m. game on Saturday, Feb. 16. UW-Stevens Point could claim a share of the WIAC Championship with two wins, coupled with a UW-Stout loss to UW-Superior. Men's hockey(15-8-2 overall, 8-4-2 NCHA): The Pointers failed to pass UW-Superior for second place in the NCHA, but still enter the playoffs as the third seed. The Pointers tied UW-Superior, 4-4, on Friday, Feb. 8, and defeated St. Scholastica, 6-3, on Saturday, Feb. 9. UW-SP had a 3-0 lead late in the second period, only to see UW-Superior storm back with four straight goals. Ryan Kirchhoff (Fairway, Kan.) scored his 11th goal of the year just 20 seconds after the Yellowjackets had taken the lead to force the tie. Zenon Kochan (Madison) had a goal and two assists in the game. Saturday, the Pointers broke a 3-3 tie after two periods with a three-goal third period. Nick Glander (Brookfield) scored the second of his two goals to break the tie. Kirchhoff added another goal and was named NCHA Player of the Week. The Pointers will host UW-Stout in an NCHA Quarterfinal best-of-three series on Friday, Feb. 15, and Saturday, Feb. 16. Both games are at 7:30 p.m. at Willett Arena. If the series is tied at the end of Saturday's game, the series will be decided with a mini-game tiebreaker. Women's hockey (22-1 overall, 13-1 NCHA): UW-SP clinched at least a share of the NCHA Regular Season Championship and the No. 1 seed for the NCHA Playoffs with a pair of victories over UW-Superior. Jackie Schmitt (Buffalo Grove, Ill.), Emily Teachout (Edina, Minn.) and Ann Ninnemann (Rosemount, Minn.) scored second-period goals to lead the Pointers to a 3-1 Friday, Feb. 8, victory over UW-Superior. Goaltender Diane Sawyer (Stillwater, Minn.) made 27 saves for the win. On Saturday, Feb. 9, Teachout, Ninnemann and Liz Goergen (Apple Valley, Minn.) provided all the scoring as the Pointers blanked the Yellowjackets, 3-0. Again, it was Sawyer putting up the wall in front of the net, making 21 saves. UW-SP can claim the outright Regular Season crown with one win or tie this weekend against UW-Eau Claire. The two teams face off Friday, Feb 15, and Saturday, Feb. 16, at UW-Eau Claire. Both games are sheduled for 7:05 p.m. Swimming and diving (Men 5-0, Women 4-1 in WIAC duals): The Pointers will take a week off from competition as they prepare for the WIAC Championships later this month. Track and field: The Pointer men placed first and the women second of six teams at the Carthage College/Pepsi Challenge in Kenosha. The men scored 139 points to easily outdistance UW-Whitewater who had 90 points. The women accumulated 122 points, trailing Carthage College with 160 points. The Pointer men claimed event titles in the 4 x 400 meter relay with a time of 3:22.58 and the Distance Medley Relay (DMR) in 10:15.30. The DMR team provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships. Cory Lesperence (Sheboygan) won the long jump with a leap of 6.84 meters, and Kent Hutchinson (Green Bay) won the triple jump with a provisional qualifying mark of 14.06 meters. Luke Hilgers (Nekoosa) and Noah Eschenbauch (Rosholt) won the shot put and weight throw, respectively. On the women's side, Jody Butkowski (Stevens Point) automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships with a winning triple jump of 11.65 meters. Megan Craig (Bangor) claimed the title in the 800-meter run in a time of 2:21.48. Becky Lebak (Burlington) won the 5,000-meters by more than 11 seconds with a provisional qualifying time of 17:40.59. Stephanie Renk (Glenbulah) won the high jump, clearing 1.57 meters. Both Pointer teams will be home Saturday, Feb. 16, for the first of two Pointer Open Invitationals. Wrestling (5-5 overall, 4-2 WIAC): The Pointers wrapped up their regular season with three dual matches in two days last weekend. The Pointers fell to national power Augsburg College (Minn.), 29-9, on Friday, Feb. 8, but bounced back on Saturday, Feb. 9, to crush UW-River Falls, 54-4, and defeat UW-Eau Claire, 22-14. Yan White (Antigo) had a huge weekend defeating the nation's top ranked wrestler in the 197-pound weight class from Augsburg, 8-4. He then pinned his River Falls opponent and defeated the wrestler for UW-Eau Claire, 6-1. Cody Koenig (Underwood, Iowa) and Joel Burdick (Racine) also won two matches on the mat last weekend. The Pointers travel to River Falls Saturday, Feb. 16, for the WIAC Championships.