UW-Stevens Point wins D-III title

SALEM, Va. -- Stephen Pelkofer hit four 3-pointers and scored 14 points and Wisconsin-Stevens Point won its fourth NCAA Division III men's basketball championship with a 70-54 victory over Augustana on Saturday.

Austin Ryf led the Points (27-5) with 17 points and Joe Ritchay had 15. The Pointers used a 12-0 run to open a 32-23 halftime lead. They built it to as many as 21 points after halftime.

Brandon Motzel scored 14 points and Hunter Hill added 13 for Augustana (27-5). The Vikings, of Illinois, were in the championship game for the third time and seeking their first national championship.

Augustana staged a frenzied comeback in the second half, pulling within 57-48 with 4:30 remaining, but the Pointers stopped an 8-0 run with two baskets and weren't really threatened again.

The Pointers also won the title in 2004, 2005 and 2010, and improved to 8-0 in games played at the Salem Civic Center, which began hosting the Final Four in 1996.