The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball bounced back after a slow start, but UW-Stevens Point had the final say, defeating the Warhawks 76-70 in the first round of the WIAC Men's Basketball Tournament.

The Warhawks started slowly, with the Pointers taking a speedy 22-7 lead. The Pointers kept their 15-point lead for a little bit before Jake Quast (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) got the offense going with his three-point shooting.

Kickstarted by the Quast three-ball, the Warhawks went on a 21-6 run to tie the game at 28 a-piece with 5 minutes remaining in the first half. 

A Stevens Point three-pointer gave them a three point lead, but the Warhawks responded, with Jameer Barker (Racine, Wis./St. Catherine's) connecting on his own three-pointer to give the Warhawks their first lead of the night at 32-31 with less than 3 minutes of the half.

As time expired in the first half, the Warhawks and Pointers went back and forth, with the Pointers having only a one-point lead entering the break. 

Starting the second half, the Warhawks looked better than they did to start the first. Trevon Chislom (McFarland, Wis./McFarland) opened up scoring with a three-pointer, taking a 39-37 lead.

The Warhawks would hold onto the lead until 12 minutes, at 50-49, but Barker reclaimed the lead from the free throw line the next possession.

The teams flip-flopped the lead until a 7-0 Stevens Point run put them up by 6-points with just over 4 minutes left in the game. 

The Warhawks played the clock game, fouling the Pointers, as they struggled the entire second half from the free throw line. The Warhawks were able to close the Pointer lead down to just 3 points with 13 seconds left. The Pointers closed the game in the final seconds, making a stop on defense to give them the 70-76 win in the first round.

The Pointers advance to the semifinal round of the WIAC Playoffs, where they travel to UW-River Falls for the Thursday night contest.

The Warhawks were led by Senior Trevon Chislom (McFarland, Wis./McFarland), scoring 17 points and six rebounds. Chislom also finished with 2 assists and 2 steals. 

Jameer Barker (Racine, Wis./St. Catherine's) added 16 points of his own and dished out 6 assists for his teammates. Jake Quast (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) rounded out the double-digit scorers, with 13 points.

Delvin Barnstable (Sheboygan, Wis./Sheboygan Lutheran) recorded 6 rebounds to go along with his 8 points.