STEVENS POINT, Wis. - Ripon's Brian Schmitting looked unstoppable at times Friday night, as he scored 21 of his 29 points in the first half, trying to will the Red Hawks to victory. Ripon played UW-Stevens Point tough for the first 10 minutes of the ball game, but couldn't hold on, losing 90-76.

The Red Hawks (1-2) missed their first four shots from the field, but finally got on the board on a layup by Paul Wise, which was set up by a David McMullen steal. After that point, the team seemed to settle down a bit, as they would take an early five point advantage. After UW-Stevens Point took the lead with 10 minutes left in the half, Chris Kellett put Ripon back on top, 22-21. That would be the last time Ripon would lead all night however, as the Pointers (3-0) scored the next seven points. The game was close for the rest of the half though. Each time the Pointers threatened to build a big lead, the Red Hawks were there with a crucial basket to cut into the margin. Ripon went into halftime trailing, 49-38, despite shooting 58 percent in the first half.

Stevens Point came out firing in the second half, going on a 19-7 run in the first five minutes of the second period. The Pointers showed off their long range ability, as they rattled five consecutive three-pointers in that span to take a commanding 23 point lead. The Red Hawks would cut the lead to 10 with a couple minutes remaining, but that's as close as they would get the rest of the way. Stevens Point was on target from downtown all night long. The Pointers connected on 53 percent (14-23) of their three's in the game. Ripon was just as cold from the outside, as Stevens Point was hot. The Red Hawks made just one of 11 shots from beyond the arc.

In addition to Schmitting's 29 points, the senior also pulled down 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Kellett finished with 12 points off the bench, on 5-of-7 shooting. Wise was the only other Red Hawk in double figures, scoring 11, to go along with four assists.

UW-Stevens Point had a balanced attack that saw six players score in double figures. Leading the way was Pete Rortvedt and Drew Jackson, who each finished with 15 points. Jon Krull chipped in with 13 points and four assists, while Khalifa El-Amin, Steve Hicklin, and Matt Moses each scored 12.