Pointers beat at buzzer again in NCAA 'Elite Eight' By MIKE KEMMETER of The Gazette STORM LAKE, IA - It was déjà vu for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men's basketball team - a buzzer-beating shot kept the Pointers from a trip to the NCAA Division 3 Final Four. Three seasons after a Nebraska Wesleyan desperation 3-pointer sent UW-SP home, UW-Eau Claire's Sherm Carstensen nailed a 30-footer as the horn sounded to give the Blugolds a come-from-behind 60-58 win. After the Pointers (25-5) took a 58-57 lead with 2.4 seconds to go, Dave Mellenthin lobbed a pass to Eric Gardow. Gardow quickly found Carstensen, who took one dribble before shooting the game-winner. "In all my years of coaching this is the most difficult loss I've ever been a part of," UW-SP coach Jack Bennett said. "Besides the suddenness of it, this is the greatest group I've coached. I feel very bad that they're not able to chase this all the way to the Final Four. "They got a lob pass and caught Carstensen on the run. I'm not sure if they do it 100 more times they hit it maybe once… It was just meant to be." The Pointers definitely had their chance to take the trip to the Final Four in Salem, Va. this weekend. A 21-4 run to start the second half seemingly put UW-SP in control, 49-31, with 12:30 to go. The Blugolds (26-5) didn't go away, though, and outscored the Pointers 29-9 to close the game. "We put ourselves in a position to win it," Bennett said. "I think we got tentative. We tried to get deep into the shot clock and just didn't get some shots to fall. That would have kept the lead at a distance." A barrage of Eau Claire 3-pointers and several free throws tied the game at 54-54 with 1:09 to go. Brant Bailey then answered with an inside hoop to give UW-SP a 56-54 lead with 37.6 remaining. The Blugolds weren't done from downtown, though, as Matt Fermanich nailed another from behind the arc with 19 seconds left to put UW-EC ahead 57-56. On UW-SP's ensuing possession, Joe Zuiker put the Pointers back on top with a potential-game-winning shot, a 15-foot jumper with 2.4 seconds left. The Pointers extended their 28-27 halftime lead using seven straight three-point plays. Jay Bennett opened the half with a pair of 3-pointers and added another following a Brent Larson trifecta. Bailey then got two three-point plays the hard way, getting the hoop and the harm. Gabe Frank concluded the 3-point barrage with a bomb of his own to put Point ahead 49-31. Then in the final 12 minutes, all UW-SP could muster on offense were a pair of Bailey baskets, a Larson drive to the hoop, Zuiker's shot and a Bailey free throw. Bailey was nearly unstoppable much of the game. He collected 24 points (10-of-15 shooting) and nine rebounds. Larson added 12 points (2-of-3 from 3-point territory) and two steals. Jay Bennett had nine points, all on 3-pointers. Carstensen finished with 22 points (7-of-12 field goal, 4-of-6 from behind the arc) while Fermanich had 20. Eau Claire was without starting center Jon Wallenfelsz, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament the night before. After the game, a disappointed Bennett looked at the big picture, one that saw the Pointers win the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles and took the team to the NCAA "Elite Eight." "Does this ache? Yes," Bennett said. "But I trust in time we'll appreciate what a tremendous group this is and what a tremendous year we had. "This is also one of the greatest stories of a team that was picked to do nothing. This team's highlight is this year." Pointers 63, University of Chicago 49 UW-SP took control with a second-half barrage to down the Maroons (23-4) and end Chicago's 18-game winning streak. The Pointers used their inside and outside game in a 17-7 run that opened the second half and a 44-27 lead with 11:06 remaining. Two Bailey inside hoops, a Travis Kornowski layup and jumper, and 3-pointers from Frank, Larson and Bennett comprised the run. "That was a thing of beauty," Bennett said. "You could see us dissecting their defense." On the other side of the floor, Chicago's offense couldn't compare. The Maroons shot just 33 percent for the game, hitting only 4-of-21 3-point attempts. Chicago entered the game as one of the nation's top teams in 3-point percentage. "That was brutal," Chicago coach Mike McGrath said. "And I think a part of it was definitely Stevens Point's defense. I thought part was their defense and part was we missed good looks." Four Pointers finished in double figures, led by Bailey's 18 points. Frank had 15, Bennett scored 11 and Larson added 10. Bailey had a career-high four assists while Frank grabbed eight rebounds.