University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point held on for a 79-60 win despite career-high performances by Pioneer junior forward McKenzie Forseth and sophomore forward Alyssa Krajco Jan. 30 at Stevens Point.
Forseth and Krajco grabbed 16 points apiece to lead the Pioneer offense (5-16, 1-11 WIAC). After a 14-2 run late in the first half, No. 16 UW-Stevens Point led 45-25 at halftime. Re-focusing was a key for success in the second half for the visitors.
“We have struggled this year putting two good halves together,” Krajco said. “We knew we were going to have to come and battle even harder the second half to catch up.”
“We wanted to come out with more intensity the second half,” sophomore guard Rilee Schmitz said.
UW-Stevens Point controlled the game in the paint, scoring 32 points to the Pioneers’ eight. Their strength inside and large halftime lead was enough to seal the win for the Pointers.
Junior guard Liz Althoff led the Pointers with 15 points.
Forseth earned nine of her 16 points from three-point range, shooting 3-4, while senior guard Claire Poad added eight points and five rebounds for the Pioneers.
The Pioneers travel to University of Wisconsin-Stout on Saturday, Feb. 2. In their previous meeting against the Blue Devils, the Pioneers came out with the win. According to Forseth, fundamentals are crucial.
“If we play team defense, box-out, communicate and execute offense, we will win on Saturday,” Forseth said.
Despite Forseth’s confidence, the Pioneers were unable to break their losing streak Saturday, falling to the University of Wisconsin-Stout Blue Devils 71-57.
Both teams played tough defense in the first half, leading to a 28-28 halftime score. Pioneer junior guard Melissa Carmody led the squad in the opening period with eight points.
However, the Pioneers offense went cold in the middle of the second half, resulting in a 16-0 run for the Blue Devils that put the game out of reach for the visitors.
The Pioneers struggled with interior defense, being outscored 18-2 in the paint.
Krajco finished with a team-high 14 points and eight rebounds, while Blue Devil Sami Schoeder had the game-high 18 points.
The Pioneers will look to defend Bo Ryan Court Saturday against University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
