According to IWU Coach Mia Smith, the Pointers run a motion offense with one primary ball handler. They like to post up and shoot 10- to 12-footers. They have a balanced offense with two players averaging double-figures (Britta Peterson 14.5, Jessi Sporle 10.5). Like fellow WIAC member UW-Eau Claire, they are a defense-oriented team, allowing 52 points per game.
I seem to say this for every game, but it's worth pointing out: the Titans are about 10 deep compared to about 7.5 for the Pointers. With Stevens Point's half-court style offense and no full-court press, it will once again be a battle of playing styles. IWU won that battle last Saturday, putting up 80 points against an Eau Claire team that allowed just 51 points per game during the season. IWU is also a better rebounding team than Stevens Point, and should be able to garner an edge on the boards Friday.
Stevens Point has some strong history to look back on: they won the NCAA championship in 2002, and placed fourth in 2004. They rattled off 14 straight victories at one point this season, and have won their last six.
There are some eerie similarities between the two teams: Stevens Point shoots 33% from the arc compared to 32% for IWU (though we've attempted 663 threes compared to just 407 for the Pointers), while IWU has a 46-45 advantage in overall field goal percentage. The Pointers have allowed 22% more points in the second half compared to the first, which bodes well considering Coach Smith's ability to make wonderful halftime adjustments--IWU outscored their first two tournament opponents by a combined 29 points.
One final note: Stevens Point played Eau Claire (whom the Titans beat 80-63 last Saturday) three times this season, going 2-1.
One more final note: as of Friday, the Titans will have played the Battling Bishops, the Blugolds, and the Stevens Point Pointers in the tournament. This has to be the worst collecti
on of nicknames faced by any team in the tournament. And since we're talking about women's basketball teams here, would it be fair to refer to Stevens Point's squad as the Pointer Sisters? (toth: ck)Saturday's potential foes:
St. Benedict (26-3) vs. #6 Washington University (23-4), Friday, 6 pm
St. Benedict has won 16 straight, while Wash U. has a 12-game winning streak of their own. St. Benedict outscores their opponents by 14, while Wash U. dominates their foes by 19 points per game (IWU has them both beat with a point differential of +24).
St. Benedict is a deep team, but has no player averaging over 12 points per game, while Wash U. has no one averaging double-figures but still scores 74 points per game. It is also worth noting that IWU faced Wash U. in St. Louis in November, and the Titans walked away with a 72-69 victory.
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