#5 UWP tops #7 UWW in overtime
February 26, 2009
By Paul Erickson, UW-Platteville Sports Information Director
Nothing better symbolized the intensity of UW-Platteville's 77-74 overtime victory over UW-Whitewater Thursday night than the sight of Pioneer senior Charlie Lohoff being taken by ambulance after suffering extensive cramps during the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference semifinal on Bo Ryan Court.
"It's hard to put into words what transpired tonight," Pioneer Coach Paul Combs said. "It was just two really good teams giving it such great effort to the point of exhaustion. I don't know if there is a better face of our program than Charlie Lohoff in what he means to the program. He played himself to exhaustion."
The fifth-ranked Pioneers play at sixth-ranked UW-Stevens Point Saturday at 3 p.m. in the conference championship. Both teams bring in 22-4 records into the title match. The seventh-ranked Warhawks exit the WIAC post-season tournament with a 22-5 record. Of the seven games between the trio of heavyweights, four have gone into overtime.
"It's life in the WIAC," Combs said. "We played at Stevens Point Saturday, Whitewater tonight and now go to Stevens Point. That's why student-athletes come to Platteville and come to the WIAC. They come for great play and great environments."
The Pioneers held off the Warhawks by making all 12 of their free throws in overtime. Mike Shaw made all eight of his attempts in the the extra session, including two with 10.1 seconds remaining for a 77-72 lead. Miles McKay knocked down two free throws on the Warhawk end with just under five seconds left, and UWW forced a turnover with four ticks remaining. McKay's three-point attempt from the left corner missed at the buzzer.
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| A heroic Charlie Lohoff scored 19 points in 38 minutes |
Lohoff led the Pioneers with 19 points, while Jeff Skemp and Eric Wall each scored 12, and Mike Shaw had 11.
UWW's Dustin Mitchell led all scorers with 21 points, while McKay finished with 18 and Tyson Kingsby 13.
The Pioneers jumped out to a 22-7 lead before the Warhawks chipped away at the deficit. UWW came within 26-21 before the Pioneers closed the first half with a 38-27 lead. Skemp, McKay, UWP's Curt Hanson, and UWW's Matt Goodwin--all first team all-conference performers a year ago--combined for just nine first-half points.
"I put the keys to the game on the board before the guys come back into the locker room, and number one was bench play, understanding their role and doing their job," Combs said. "I thought we got the best performance from our bench all season. Eric Wall gave us great support, Bo Richter gave us great support, Mike Shaw gave us great support. That's what championship teams do, fill in when someone gets hurt or gets in foul trouble."
The Pioneers came out strong again in the second half, taking a 46-29 lead before the Warhawks rallied once more. Goodwin's two free throws brought the visitors within 58-56, and Dustin Mitchell made two more with four seconds remaining to tie the score. Skemp almost won the game with his first career three-pointer, and Wall's tip-in at the buzzer just missed as well.
Lohoff scored two straight baskets to open the overtime, but Mitchell's dunk brought the Warhawks within 62-61. With the shot clock winding down, Hanson then connected on his 175th career three-point basket with 2:23 left. McKay and Skemp traded pairs of successful free throws, and then Shaw grabbed a defensive rebound, was fouled and started his parade to the line. He made all eight of his in the final 35 seconds, and Richter also made two with 19 seconds left for a 75-69 lead. Kingsby made a three-point basket with 11 seconds remaining, making the count 75-72, but Shaw's two FTs one second later gave UWP that 77-72 lead.
The Pioneers and Pointers split their regular season games, with each team handing the other their only home court conference losses. UW-Stevens Point won 73-66 Jan. 10, and the Pioneers won 55-52 last Saturday.
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