Men's Basketball Takes On Stevens Point Saturday

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Posted: Thursday, December 2, 2004

EAU CLAIRE - The UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team, fresh off handing UW-Superior its first loss of the season, will look to take down defending national champion and first-ranked UW-Stevens Point this Saturday, when the Blugolds host the Pointers at 3:00 p.m. at W.L. Zorn Arena.

The game kicks off a doubleheader against the Pointers, as the women Blugolds take on Stevens Point at 5:30 p.m.

Eau Claire comes into the match up on Saturday with an overall record of 3-2 and a conference record of 1-0. The Blugolds topped Superior on Tuesday by 17 points, handing the Yellowjackets their first loss of the year in six games. Eau Claire has played just one home game this season, topping Manchester (IN) 77-63 on November 24.

The Blugolds have posted solid shooting numbers so far this season, hitting 49.1 percent of their shots from the field, including 37.1 percent from three-point range. They are also hitting 77 percent of their free throws as a team. The solid shooting has translated into an average of 75.2 points per game.

Leading Eau Claire in scoring has been Dan Archambault (Sr.-Oshkosh/West) with 17.8 points per game. He is shooting an incredible 63.6 percent (14-of-22) from behind the three-point line and leads the team with eight steals. Casey Drake (Sr.-Rhinelander) is second on the team in scoring while leading the team in assists. He is averaging 14.8 points per game and has dished out 20 assists on the year.

Will Jefferson (Sr.-Wausau/East) is off to a fine start, averaging 14.4 points per game after coming on strong late last season. He is hitting 60.5 percent from the floor through five games. Eau Claire's leading rebounder has been newcomer Dan Beyer (Fr.-Waukesha/Catholic Memorial) with an average of 5.4 per game.

The top-ranked Pointers come into Saturday's game with a perfect 5-0 record and a conference record of 1-0. In an exhibition game on November 9, Stevens Point gave Division I Marquette University a run, losing by just 13 points. The Pointers are fresh off a low scoring, 55-44 win over UW-Platteville.

All-American Jason Kalsow leads Stevens Point in scoring early in the season, averaging 20.2 points per contest. He also leads the team in steals and blocks with 11 apiece, and is second on the team in rebounding with 29 and assists with 16. Nick Bennett is the only other Pointer averaging double-digit scoring with 13.6 points per game but is shooting just 38.6 percent from the floor.

The all-time record between the Blugolds and Pointers is extremely close, with Eau Claire owning a slight 76-72 advantage. The last three seasons have belonged to Stevens Point, however, as the Pointers have won six straight games over the Blugolds. Last season the Pointers won both games by 12 points, winning 70-58 at home and 80-68 at Zorn Arena.

The Blugolds will look to knock the defending champs from their top-ranked poll position this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at Zorn Arena. Tickets for Saturday's UW-Eau Claire basketball doubleheader vs. UW-Stevens Point are available in advance at the university Service Center in Davies Center. Only doubleheader tickets will be sold in advance and are $10 for adults, $8 for UWEC faculty and staff, $6 for seniors and $5 for youths and visiting students.