Good things don't come in 3s for UWP
February 21, 2006
The third time was not the charm for the UW-Platteville basketball team, who lost a hard-fought 70-65 playoff basketball game at UW-Stevens Point Tuesday.
The Pioneers had defeated the Pointers twice during the regular season, but the third-seeded hosts captured the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference post-season tournament first-round game. UWSP will play at UW-Stout in one semifinal Thursday, while UW-La Crosse travels to UW-Whitewater in the other.
Three was the charm for the Pointers' Pete Rortvedt, who made a tournament-record nine three-point baskets, including three during a 13-0 Pointers run. The Pioneers were within 39-37 on a Charlie Lohoff basket when Rortvedt went off.
"He was in a zone," Pioneer Coach Paul Combs said. "It didn't matter who we put on him. He made the plays in the biggest game of his career."
Still, the Pioneers refused to quit. Trailing by the 52-37 score, the Pioneers scored nine straight points, including eight by senior LeVon Crawford, slicing the lead to 52-46. With UWP gaining momentum, Rortvedt drained a long three-point shot with Lohoff right in his face for a nine-point lead with 3:30 to play.
The Pointers led by 11 with 1:19 to play before the Pioneers rallied again. Crawford made two straight baskets and free throws, narrowing the deficit to 65-59 with 51 seconds left. UWP came within 67-63 on a Sean Krause layup with 13 seconds remaining, but Jon Krull made two free shots with 11 seconds left, and Shawn Lee made one of two with three seconds left to put the game away.
"I'm very proud of my team." Crawford said. "They never gave up. We played right to the wire, even when we down down four with nine seconds. That's what it's all about."
Combs said the effort reminded him of the Pioneers' trip to Europe in May, when they overcame a 31-point deficit to beat a team in Prague.
"We got back in that game with defense, and we did that again here," he said. "That's the mentality of this team. They have a never-say-die attitude, and it starts with #10, Crawford, and #14, Clay Dean, our seniors."
Crawford, playing in his final collegiate game, finished with 21 points. He also registered one last highlight in a career filled with them. He chased down Bryan Beamish on a breakaway layup, caught him and swatted his shot away. The Pioneers picked up the loose ball and threw it down to Jeff Skemp, who dunked the ball on an assist from Krause.
Skemp added 16 points for the Pioneers, and Krause scored 15.
Rortvedt, who made 9-11 three-point shots, scored 30 points, and Krull had 14 for the Pointers (17-9).
"We made big shots, and they made big shots," Crawford said. "We gave it everything we had. Both teams did."
The Pioneers, playing without ill Josh Langenfeld, and without Crawford for most of the first half because of foul troubles, trailed 23-21 at the break.
"I thought we missed some opportunities" Combs said. "In the first half, we were up 19-15, called a timeout, and then they end the half on an 8-2 run. That was a big part of the game. We didn't play our best half, but we still had some opportunities in the second half. Rortvedt just hit some big shots."
The Pioneers will lose Crawford and Dean, two seniors who provided invaluable leadership to a team that regularly played four freshmen. The Pioneers finished 12-13, including 7-9 in the WIAC.
"They're great Pioneers," Combs said of his seniors. "They got us back into the game tonight. I'm disappointed in the loss and that we are losing two quality individuals. At the same time, the staff and I are very excited about the future of this team."
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