Dan Tillema and his brother Tyler lead UW-Stevens Point in scoring. Both played on the 2010 title team and they won a state title together in high school. Photo by Pat Coleman, D3sports.com

When UW-Stevens Point forward Dan Tillema looks for the ball, odds are the top scorer on the team knows exactly where Tillema is going to be. Tillema, a senior, teams with brother Tyler, a junior to form a formidable 1-2 punch for the Pointers, who have won 13 of their last 15, including the last five straight.

Tyler leads the Pointers with a 17.4 average and Dan adds 16.9 a clip for 19-4 Stevens Point.

"I always kind of know his tendencies and he knows mine," Dan Tillema said. "We can make eye contact and both know what each others thinking. We just know each other inside and out. I do think that's a benefit to us most of our games."

The two have also teamed up to win a state championship Dan's senior year at Randolph (Wis.) High School, when Dan was a senior and Tyler was a sophomore. Also the two were members of the Pointers’ 2010 national championship team, when they combined to average 8.4 points.

"We're always on the same page and we both have the same goals," Dan said. "We know what each other wants."

The Pointers have lost just twice in the conference, both to UW-River Falls, who have been the lone losses for Stevens Point over the last 14 games. After the Jan. 21 loss to River Falls, Stevens Point rebounded to top then-second ranked UW-Whitewater 71-60 and has been winning ever since.

"We played really well," Pointers coach Bob Semling said about the Whitewater game. "We came out with a greater sense of urgency. We came out with a real determination to play well and compete."

The Pointers also get solid contributions from the rest of their starting five as senior Jordan Brezinski adds 11.1 points per game, sophomore Trevor Hass adds 10 points and junior Jordan Giordana, who played sparingly on the title team, now scores 8.8 a clip.

"We're all starting to click on the same page," Dan Tillema said. "We're all starting to buy in on team defense and all of us want to do it better as a team. We all lean on each other. It makes it more fun when we're doing at a team, than opposed to one individual player is doing well."

Consistency fuels Tommies

The season didn't start out very well for the 15th-ranked St. Thomas women's basketball program as they were handled 70-53 at UW-Stevens Point. Since then, the Tommies have rattled off 21 straight wins, including 19 in the MIAC. The Tommies have clinched a share of the MIAC crown and the top seed in the conference tournament with a three game lead over Gustavus with three games to go.

"It was a great game to learn from," Tommies coach Ruth Sinn said of the Stevens Point game. "We had to take great responsibility and had to give defense effort. The girls have embraced it. We have strong senior leadership and a lot of balance on our team."

 The seniors that have sparked the team with their presence have been Carolyn Dienhart, Ali Johnson and Sarah Smith. However, the leading scorers have been sophomores in post players Taylor Young and Maggie Weiers.Young leads the team with 12.9 points a game and adds 4.3 rebounds and Weiers scores 11.9 points and averages 6.0 rebounds. Smith is the team's leading rebounder with 7.9 per game.

"It hasn't been a team focused on ego or individual stats," Sinn said. "It's how we can make our St. Thomas women's basketball team the best we can be."

And through consistency, the Tommies have certainly been the best in the MIAC.

"Every single game you're looking to improve and get better with the little things," Sinn said. "We're focusing on little things, defensive intensity and defensive focus. We try to keep teams in 40's and being efficient offensively."

And Sinn isn't afraid to play several people to help her team achieve their goals as 11 Tommies play on a regular basis.

"The idea is that the good of the team is the most important concept," Sinn said. "All the way through, we help the team get better."

Rash and Spurlin lead Pioneers

Transylvania has been on a roll again as the Pioneers have won nine in a row and are 20-2 overall and 14-1 in the HCAC with a two game-lead over Hanover with three games to go. The two will meet at Hanover Feb. 15.

"We've still got work to do," Transylvania coach Brian Lane said, however.

Transylvania has been lead by a dynamic duo of juniors in Ethan Spurlin and Brandon Rash. Spurlin averages 16.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and Rash adds 16.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.

"Take Rash off the team, Spurlin is All-American," Lane said. You take Spurlin off the team, Rash in an All-American. Having those two guys compliment each other inside is huge. Those are our bigger guys, they also can make threes and take it off the dribble."

The flexibility and unselfishness of those two has contributed to ultimately winning for Transylvania.

"Both of those guys are having player-of-the-year kind of years," Lane said. "I'm sitting here lucky enough to have both of them on the same team. First three weeks this year they were players of the week in the league.  The good news is we don't know which one is the one and which one is the two."

As the Pioneers continue to have success, they know the spotlight will continue to grow. Lane makes sure his team stays hones in on the task at hand.

"I think one of the things that we have done in the past is handle success pretty good," Lane said. "When the interest level gets higher, people start talking about you. We've done a pretty good job of keeping guys focused."