Pointers travel to Iowa in search of Final Four berth By MIKE KEMMETER of The Gazette The road to NCAA Division 3's Final Four in Salem, Va., takes a western turn this weekend. The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men's basketball team, one of 16 teams still alive in the national tournament, travels to Storm Lake, Iowa Friday, to join three other teams vying for a trip to the East Coast. The Pointers, who beat Lewis and Clark College (Ore.) last Saturday at home, 72-68, in the tournament's second round, face the University of Chicago at 6 p.m. in the sectional tournament. UW-Eau Claire takes on host and top-seeded Buena Vista at 7:30 p.m. The two winning teams will meet for a berth to the "Final Four" Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Both games can be heard on WIZD Radio (99.9 FM) with Scott Krueger giving the call and John Zellmer providing analysis. "Our focus is on Chicago, Chicago, Chicago," UW-SP coach Jack Bennett said. "And the rest will take care of itself." This will be Bennett's second trip to the sectional tournament. In 1996-97, the Pointers won their first game to advance to the "Elite Eight," before losing to Nebraska Wesleyan on a last-second shot in the sectional final. Brant Bailey and Gabe Frank are the only two players remaining who saw significant playing time that year. Ben Benesh played in three games that season while Jay Bennett, Nate Vosters and James Wreath were redshirted. "I think as a coaching staff, we know what to expect," Bennett said. "There's not a whole lot of carryover (on the roster from that season)." The Pointers are ranked No. 7 in the latest D3Hoops.com poll. Chicago is No. 8, Eau Claire is No. 15 and Buena Vista is No. 16. In the NCAA's West Region poll, Buena Vista is No. 1, UW-SP is second and Eau Claire is fifth. Chicago is No. 1 in the Midwest Region poll. UW-SP has won 10 straight games entering the weekend, the school's longest since a 24-game streak in 1991-92. "At the beginning of the year, we were a team that was picked to be in the middle of the pack," Bennett said. "Whatever happens, this is one of the finest groups I've coached. You want to take them as far as you can when you have a group you can respect and love." University of Chicago The Maroons are riding an 18-game winning streak entering the showdown with the Pointers. Chicago, who is known for its size, advanced to the game with a 75-68 win over Ripon College. "They're very big," Bennett said. "They shoot the ball well. They're a very good basketball team that starts 6-8, 6-7, 6-6, 6-5 and has a 5-11 point guard." Six-foot-7 Derek Reich is the team's leading scorer, averaging 18 points a game. Reich, who was named the University Athletic Association's Player of the Year, also leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game and with a 49.5 percent shooting touch from 3-point range (48-97). Brad Henderson is the only other Maroon in double figures, averaging 12.3 points per game. Starters Brant Bailey and Joe Zuiker will be key for the Pointers, considering Chicago's height. It's not something UW-SP hasn't seen though, as Point has faced a big Eau Claire three times. The Pointers have never faced Chicago before. "We'll try to match up similarly to when we match up with Eau Claire," Bennett said. "Our bigger reserves, Travis Kornowski and Josh Iserloth, they're going to have a major role in this game. We'll try to keep them off the boards as much as we can." Buena Vista University The Beavers boast the nation's longest current winning streak at 23 games and is the region's No. 1 seed, giving Buena Vista home court advantage. Buena Vista beat St. Thomas University (Minn.) 69-66 in the second round. The Pointers have never faced the Beavers before. Guard/forward Adam Jones leads the Beavers with 16.3 points per game. Brett Smith (10.6) and Robby Beyer (10.0) also average double figures in points per game, while five others average 7.5 or more. Chris Petersen is the leading rebounder with 7.0 per game. UW-Eau Claire The Blugolds and Pointers are no strangers, as the two teams have faced each other three times already this season. UW-SP has never faced a team four times in one year. A big team, Eau Claire is led by 6-6 Sherm Carstensen, who is averaging 20.6 points. 6-8 post player Jon Wallenfelsz is not far behind, averaging 17.5. Wallenfelsz also averages 8.5 rebounds. The Pointers have won their last two meetings with the Blugolds, including an overtime win in the WIAC Tournament championship game. UW-EC beat UW-SP in Eau Claire, in overtime, and then the Pointers topped the Blugolds at the Quandt Fieldhouse. Pointers 72, Lewis & Clark 68 A late surge allowed the Pointers to move on to the "Sweet 16." The two teams battled back and forth throughout the first half, and UW-SP led by as many as five, 64-59, with 3:23 to go. But Lewis & Clark didn't go away, as Todd Meyerding and Jeff Auxier both scored hoops get within 64-63 with 1:13 remaining. Travis Kornowski came up big, nailing a late 3-pointer for the second straight game. Brant Bailey then stole a pass on the other end and went coast-to-coast for a dunk, giving UW-SP a six-point, 69-63, advantage with 37 seconds to go. Lewis & Clark answered, though, when Colin Oriard nailed a 3-pointer six seconds later to cut the lead in half. The Pointers then sealed the win by hitting 3-of-4 free throws. Bailey led the way with 21 points and nine rebounds. Brent Larson had 15 points and hit 5-of-7 3-pointers. Jay Bennett added 13 while Josh Iserloth had nine rebounds and Joe Zuiker pulled down eight boards. Both teams didn't shoot well in the first half and Lewis & Clark took a 31-30 lead. UW-SP was 11-of-35 (31 percent) while the Pioneers were 12-of-29 (41 percent). The Pointers then shot 14-of-28 (50 percent) in the second half.