Pioneers win first-place battle
January 30, 2008
By Paul Erickson, Sports Information Director
UW-Platteville beat UW-Oshkosh 71-55 in an intense battle for first place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference before 1,148 fans on Bo Ryan Court.
"We always know it's going to be a fight with Oshkosh because we both want to win so bad," said Pioneer sophomore Curt Hanson, who scored a game-high 16 points.
The Pioneers, ranked 22nd in D3hoops.com poll, improved to 14-4 overall and 8-2 in the WIAC, while the 20th-ranked Titans fell to 13-6, 7-3. UWP completed a regular-season sweep, having won 72-53 in Oshkosh Jan. 9.
"To get a win, now two wins, over a program as good as Oshkosh's feel awesome," said Hanson.
The Pioneers led 32-24 at the half, and Hanson drilled a three-point basket 26 seconds into the second half. The Pioneers led by double digits for almost the entire second half.
Platteville built the advantage to 60-44 before the Titans rallied with eight straight points. D.J. Marsh made two straight inside shots, and Jordan Johnson hit two jumpers, bringing the Titans within 60-52.
"It was down to eight with four minutes to go, but we knew if we got bucket and one stop, we could ice the game," Hanson said. "It was a little nerve-wracking, but we came through."
Hanson drove the lane for a basket, and Charlie Lohoff nailed a three-point shot, pushing the lead to 65-52. Josh Langenfeld made a pair of free throws, and Hanson finished the 11-0 run with a jumper and two free shots.
Hanson hit 6-7 from the field to finish with his 16 points, while Lohoff had 15, and Jeff Skemp pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds. UWP shot 51 percent for the game, including 60 (14-23) in the second half.
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| Kyle Tetschlag and the UWP bench outscored their counterparts 25-3. |
Dane Seckar-Anderson scored 16 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked four shots for the Titans, while Matt Miller had 12 and Marsh 11. The Pioneers held the Titans to 33 percent from the field.
"They're a really good offensive team, with a lot of good shooters and good posts," Hanson said. "To be able to hold them to 55 is awesome."
The sophomore credited the Pioneer crowd a defensive assist.
"The best part was our fans," Hanson said. "They were loud the whole game. "
The Pioneers improved to 8-0 in front of their home fans this season.
"We protected our home floor and beat a very good team," UWP Coach Paul Combs said. "It started with our bench and our depth. We were able to maintain consistency with them. If you give Oshkosh any breath at all to shoot the ball, they'll hurt you. This was just a great team win."
UWP, tied with UW-Whitewater for first place, travels to UW-River Falls for a Saturday 3 p.m. tip. The Pioneers edged the Falcons 67-66 in the first meeting.
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