Game Notes: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point @ North Central College (12/9/15)

Final Score
NCC 63, Wisconsin-Stevens Point 49

Game Summary
It was a defensive battle early, but the Cardinals (3-3) took control early with a couple of baskets while locking down the other end. The Pointers (3-3) hung around though by playing solid defense as well, while the Cardinals missed some free throws to keep it close. Stevens Point finally hit a couple threes late in the half to make it close again, but some late free throws and a couple Cardinal buckets pushed the lead back to eight, going into halftime up 26-18. North Central forced turnovers on the first three possessions of the second half and tried to pull away, though the Pointers hung tough and kept it close for a while. A couple Cardinal threes expanded the lead, and they finished it off by going to the basket.

Key Stats

• UWSP: 16-58 FG (27.6%). When I talk about how dominant a defensive performance this was... This is your proof. North Central just held the defending national champions to under 30 percent shooting. The Pointers also hit just 32.4 percent of their two point shots. Incredible.
• Alex Sorenson (NCC): 7-9 FG (1-2 3PT), 5-13 FT; 20 pts, 12 reb (3 off), 1 ast, 2 blk. Alex struggled a bit offensively early (at the line especially), but controlled the game for the first ten minutes or so by locking down the defensive side. He heated up in the second half while continuing to control the glass. He also got his rhythm down at the line in the second half, hitting five of eight freebies.
• Erwin Henry (NCC): 5-9 FG (0-3 3PT), 8-8 FT; 18 pts, 10 reb (1 off), 2 ast, 1 stl. Erwin did pretty well in the first half (eight points, six boards) but really took over as the second half continued. He managed a pair of key and-ones to prevent the Pointers from mounting more of a comeback. For his first start of the year, this was a great game.

Final Thoughts
The defending national champs had to reload a little bit, and they have the size, but they had no answer for a tough Cardinal defense. If you didn't know much about either team coming in, you'd think the Cardinals were the defending national champs the way they played. They were ready for this one, and showed it from the get go.

This was a huge win for the program and could be critical later in the season, but the important thing for now is that the Cardinals don't get too high after this win. They blew a 16 point lead at Aurora a couple weeks ago, and had multiple chances to beat Alma on Sunday but couldn't get over the top despite holding them without a basket for the final 4:27 of the game. Consistency is key, and we'll see how they handle it. The boys get a few days to rest up and prepare for Albion this coming Tuesday.