Hot-shooting Clarke stuns UWP
January 24, 2007
UW-Platteville Coach Paul Combs was worried that a young, but struggling Clarke team would treat Wednesday's visit from the Pioneers as its Super Bowl game.
If that's the case, the Bears and Colts should check what got into the Crusaders in the second half.
Clarke shot 71 percent in the second half, including 78 percent from beyond the three-point line, to stun the Pioneers 74-71 at the Kehl Center.
The Crusaders overcame a 37-25 halftime deficit with their sizzling shooting. DeMonte Bynum had the hottest hand, scoring 16 of his 25 points in the final 18:45. Clarke caught the Pioneers with three straight three-pointers, turning a 51-46 deficit into a 55-51 lead. Bynum, Jamie Seidel and Demarvis Russell all connected from way beyond the arc.
Despite the Clarke hot shooting, the Pioneers still had a chance to tie at the end. After Bynum's two free throws with 27 seconds left gave Clarke a 74-69 lead, Charlie Lohoff scored on a driving layup. After Clarke's Josh Bellaire stepped out of bounds, Mark Gossens had a three-point attempt rattle out. Bellaire missed two free throws with 4.9 seconds left, but Mike Jamerson's running three-pointer missed at the buzzer.
Lohoff led the Pioneers with 16 points, while Curt Hanson added 14, including back-to-back three-point shots that gave UWP a 15-11 first-half lead. The Pioneers led from that point on until eight minutes remained in the game. Gossens had 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Kyle Tetschlag had 12 points, and Jamerson 10. The Pioneers made 60 percent of their shots in the first half, including 7-13 three-pointers, but made only 1-14 from behind the arc in the second period.
Russell, Brian Harris and Bellaire added 12 points apiece to complement Bynum's 25.
The Pioneers slipped to 10-7, while the Crusaders improved to 5-15.
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