Pioneers nipped at the end
February 20, 2007
UW-Whitewater's Anthony Mlachnik spoiled a Pioneer comeback when he made one of two free throws with three seconds left, lifting the host Warhawks to a 58-57 victory in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference quarterfinals.
Mlachnik missed the first but made the second after an extremely close blocking call on Bo Richter. The Warhawks' Giovanni Riley then stole the inbounds pass, ending the Pioneers' season.
The fourth-seeded Warhawks move on to play at top-seeded UW-Stevens Point Thursday, while the fifth-seeded Pioneers finish 13-12.
The Warhawks led 57-47 until the Pioneers scored the next 10 points, tying the score at 57-57. Mark Gossens' inside basket knotted the score with 18 seconds left.
"You don't want to get down against a good team, but we fought back, just as we have all year," sophomore guard Charlie Lohoff said. "It's tough. We were so close."
The loss marked the end for seniors Gossens and Mike Jamerson, but the rest of the Pioneer team returns intact and then some. Injured starters Jeff Skemp and Josh Langenfeld will return from injuries to join the freshmen and sophomores who gained so much experience.
Freshmen Curt Hanson led all scorers with 27 points. The WIAC's leading three-point shooter knocked down 5-7 from beyond the arc. Jamerson added 12 points and four assists.
"Our young guys played really well," Lohoff said, "especially Curt. He put us on his back and that is pretty impressive for a freshman."
The Pioneers scored just two points in the first nine minutes of the game, then fell behind 17-4. UWP cut the lead to 19-16 on Hanson's reverse layup and free throw. UWW led 21-19 at the halftime break.
The game remained a two- and four-point game until the Warhawks' Craig Anderson converted a four-point play and a three-point possession and Kori Vernon dunked the ball on two consecutive fast breaks. The Warhawks eventually went up 43-30, forcing the Pioneers to play catch up.
Josh King had 15 points to pace the Warhawks (18-8), while Mlachnik had 13 and Anderson 10.
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