Pioneers Score First 6 Points of Overtime En Route to 74-69 Win Over UW-Oshkosh

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men’s basketball team scored the first six points of overtime en route to a 74-69 win over UW-Oshkosh on Wednesday night in Platteville, Wisconsin at Bo Ryan Court.

The Pioneers (11-8, 5-5 WIAC) were led by senior Brett Stangel, who tied a season-high with 27 points as he hit a career-high and school record tying seven 3-pointers and sophomore Chas Cross, who finished 26 points – ones shy of a career-high for the Winnebago, Illinois native. The two combined to score 11 of the 12 points for UW-Platteville in the extra session.

The Titans (4-14, 0-9 WIAC) also had two in double figures as Greg Schimpf had 19 points on the strength of five 3-pointers and John Flanigan, who eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau for his career with a double double, scoring 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds in the defeat.

Stangel became the fifth Pioneer in men’s basketball history to hit seven 3 pointers when he hit a trifecta with 3:40 to play. The 3 pointer put UW-Platteville ahead 60-59 with 3:40 left in regulation. Cross stretched the lead to three when he made a layup with 1:59 to go. However, the Titans came back with its 11th 3-pointer of the game as Flanigan hit the three-point bomb to tie the game for seventh and final time.

Each team had a chance in regulation but the Pioneers’ Rob Stallion jumper came up short with 37 seconds to play and with three seconds to go a jumper by the Titans’ Chad Mathwig was blocked by Cross to send the game into overtime.

In the overtime, a steal and a layup by Stangel put UW-Platteville ahead by two and for the rest of the contest. Another steal and layup by the Pioneers gave the home team a four-point cushion, 66-62, with 3:28 to go in the extra frame.

Twice, the Titans cut the UW-Platteville lead to 3 and each time either Stangel or Cross had an answer for the Pioneers. To seal the win, the Pioneers made four of six free throws.

The Pioneers will next travel to UW-River Falls on Saturday for a 3 p.m. tilt.