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2001-02 Pioneer Women's Basketball Season Review

posted 3/15/02

Stietz earns all-region honors


UW-Platteville's Crystal Stietz earned another basketball honor when she was accorded second-team all-Central Region honors by the web site D3hoops.com.

Stietz, a senior from Argyle, previously earned first team all-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and second team academic all-region honors.

The WIAC's leading scorer, Stietz averaged 19.2 points per game, scoring in double figures in 24 of the 26 games with a career-high of 36 points vs St. Ambrose Nov. 20. Stietz made 55 percent of her shots from the field, ranking in the top 30 nationally in both scoring and shooting percentage.

Sports information directors from each region voted on the teams. The complete list of women's and men's honor squads can be found on the web at the d3hoops.com site.



posted 2/27/02

Stietz, Flesch are all-WIAC


UW-Platteville's Crystal Stietz earned first-team all-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors, while Pioneer teammate Tiff Flesch was an honorable mention selection.

The pair of inside players led the Pioneers to a 13-13 record, their first .500 season since 1991-92. This also marked the first time since 1996-97 that two UWP players earned all-league honors in the same season.

Stietz, a senior from Arygle, led the conference in scoring at 19.2 points per game. She scored in double figures in 24 of the 26 games with a career-high of 36 points vs St. Ambrose Nov. 20. Stietz made 55 percent of her shots from the field, connecting on at least half of her attempts in 20 of the 26 games. She earned three WIAC player of the week honors, all-tournament honors at both the Carroll and Clarke tournaments, and academic all-region accolades.

Flesch, a sophomore from Potosi, averaged 11.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest. She was third in the league in rebounding, fourth in blocked shots (40) and 10th in scoring. Flesch had a high game of 19 points vs. Coe Nov. 24 and twice grabbed 13 rebounds in games.

2001-02 All-WIAC Women's Basketball Team FIRST TEAM
Name, School, Year, Position, Hometown (High School)

Kristi Channing, Eau Claire, Junior, Forward, Fall Creek
Brooke Croshier, La Crosse, Senior, Forward, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Washington)
Kari Groshek, Stevens Point, Senior, Center, Rosholt
Tanya Halbach, Stout, Junior, Guard, Janesville (Craig)
Andrea Kraemer, Stevens Point, Sophomore, Guard, Waukesha (North)
Melissa McKernon, River Falls, Senior, Forward, Owatonna, Minn.
Kristin Steckmesser, Oshkosh, Senior, Guard, Two Rivers
Crystal Stietz, Platteville, Senior, Forward, Argyle
Jamie Turtenwald, Oshkosh, Senior, Guard, West Allis (Hale)
Amy Zelinger, Stout, Senior, Guard, Racine (Park)
HONORABLE MENTION
Stacie Anderson, Stout, Senior, Guard, Clayton
Shelley Bakken, La Crosse, Senior, Guard, Onalaska
Carry Boehning, Stevens Point, Senior, Center, Auburndale
Jenny Deuster, Oshkosh, Senior, Forward, Green Bay (Southwest)
Erin Effle, River Falls, Freshman, Forward, Rochester, Minn. (John Marshall)
Lindsey Erichsen, Stout, Freshman, Center, Spring Valley, Minn. (Kingsland)
Tiff Flesch, Platteville, Sophomore, Forward, Potosi
Nya Geschke, Whitewater, Freshman, Forward, Janesville (Parker)
Heidi McKay, Superior, Sophomore, Forward, Mahtowa, Minn. (Barnum)
Cathy Rossi, Whitewater, Junior, Forward, Bristol (Westosha)
Amie Schultz, Stevens Point, Senior, Center, Appleton (East)
Laura Verdegan, Stout, Sophomore, Forward, Tony (Flambeau)
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Sarah Hughes, Eau Claire, Senior, Forward, Colfax
Kay Mikolajczak, Oshkosh, Sophomore, Forward, Franklin
Brenda Utech, Oshkosh, Junior, Guard, Howard (Bay Port)
Laura Verdegan, Stout, Sophomore, Forward, Tony (Flambeau)
Amy Zelinger, Stout, Senior, Guard, Racine (Park)
Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete: Kari Groshek (Stevens Point)
Coach of the Year: Mark Thomas (Stout)
Player of the Year: Kari Groshek (Stevens Point)


posted 2/21/02

Stietz earns academic all-region honors


UW-Platteville's Crystal Stietz was named to the 2001-02 Verizon Academic All-District College Division Women's Basketball District V Second Team.

Stietz is a senior forward from Argyle who carries a cumulative grade-point average of 3.45. She has earned departmental honors in physical education and last year was the only undergraduate in Wisconsin to win the Governor's Award for Physical Fitness.

On the court, Stietz led the Pioneers to their first .500 season (13-13) since 1991-92. She was the top scorer in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference at 19.2 points per game, and she won the league's player of the week award three times. Stietz's 498 points this season were the fourth-most in Pioneer history.

Women's Basketball First Team -- College Division
Name, School, Position, Yr., Hometown, GPA, Major (Minor)
Michelle Barlau, St. Benedict, G, Jr., Northfield, Minn., 3.75, Elementary Ed.
Emily Birkholz, Minn. State-Mankato, G, Sr., St. James, Minn., 4.00, Chemistry/Biology
Amy Sue Burns, St. Mary's (Minn.), G, Sr., Winona, Minn., 3.687, Bio./Pre-Phys. Therapy
Kari Groshek, Wis.-Stevens Point, C, Sr., Rosholt, Wis., 3.74, Biology
Lori Jennings, Millikin, F, Sr., Olney, Ill., 3.98, Biology (Chemistry)
Amie Karkainen, Wheaton, F, Grad., Bellevue, Wash., 3.96, Education

Women's Basketball Second Team -- College Division
Name, School, Position, Yr., Hometown, GPA, Major (Minor)
Alissa Case, St. Thomas (Minn.), C, Sr., Bloomington, Minn., 3.74, Sec. Ed./Soc. Studies
Jessica Farmer, Rose-Hulman, F, So., Brownsburg, Ind., 3.77, Chemical Engineering
Crystal Stietz, Wisconsin-Platteville, F, Sr., Argyle, Wis., 3.45, Phys. Ed. (Health Promo.)
Jessica Stuckman, Southern Indiana, F, So., Quincy, Ill., 3.38, Biology
Renee Willette, Carleton, F, Sr., Minneapolis, Minn., 3.54, Poli-Sci (Women/Gender Std)

Women's Basketball Third Team -- College Division
Name, School, Position, Yr., Hometown, GPA, Major (Minor)
Kelli Baumgartner, Eureka, G, Sr., Walnut, Ill., 3.62, Elementary Ed.
Jill Johnson, St. Olaf, F, So., Butterfield, Minn., 4.0, Political Science/Math
Molly Jones, Aurora , F, Sr., St. Charles, Ill., 3.64, Physical Ed. (K/12) (Coaching)
Ruth Kipping, Illinois-Edwardsville, F, Jr., Quincy, Ill., 3.375, Sociology
Brenda Utech, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, G, Jr., Howard, Wis., 3.90, Elementary Ed.


posted 2/19/02

Stietz earns WIAC weekly honors again


For the third time this season, UW-Platteville's Crystal Stietz earned Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's basketball player of the week honors.

Stietz, a senior forward from Argyle, scored 55 points in two games last week. She scored 31 points in a 74-70 victory over UW-Eau Claire and set a school record by making 14-of-14 from the line. That was the second-best perfect effort from the line in WIAC history, trailing only UW-Whitewater's Vanessa Reider, who was 16-for-16. Stietz added 24 points against UW-River Falls. For the week, she made 16-of-24 from the field and 21-of-23 from the line, while adding 12 rebounds and 5 assists.



posted 2/18/02

Pioneers' season ends in Eau Claire


By Paul Erickson, UWP Sports Information Director

Eau Claire, Wis.--One comeback the UW-Platteville women's basketball team could manage. Two was asking too much.

UW-Eau Claire used a 19-4 second-half run to pull away from the Pioneers and post a 70-60 win Monday night in the opening round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs.

The Pioneers trailed by as many as 14 in the first half at 27-13 and still were behind 31-24 at the half. UWP scored the first five points of the second half on Grace Foster's three-point basket and two Crystal Stietz free throws. The Pioneers finally tied the game at 37-37 on Stietz's three-point basket and were still within 45-42 before the Blugolds went on their decisive run. Eau Claire's largest lead was 70-50 before the Pioneers scored the final 10 points of the game.

"We played smart to start the half and had a good opportunity, but they called timeout and did a good job in making the adjustments they had to," Pioneer Coach Denise Dunbar said.

The Pioneers end their season at 13-13, while the 21st-ranked Blugolds will take a 19-6 record into Wednesday's semifinal at WIAC champion UW-Stout.

The Blugolds shot 51.7 percent, compared to the Pioneers' 40.9 percent, in large part to a 48-12 difference of points scored in the lane.

"They had a lot more points in the paint," Dunbar said. "They were a lot more physical than we were, and that was a big difference. They also shut us down pretty well."

Stietz led the Pioneers with 22 points and finished the year with 498, the fifth highest season total in UWP history. Angie Sisson scored 14 points, while Tiff Flesch added nine points and 11 rebounds.

Seniors Stietz, Foster, who finished her career with 107 three-point baskets, and Oliver, who had three assists and three steals Monday, played in their final games in Pioneer uniforms. They led the team to its first .500 campaign since 1991-92.

"The seniors can be proud of they have done," Dunbar said. "It's always hard to lose your last game, but only one team in this league can win it all. We have to build on this and take another step to get better."

Game Boxscore


posted 2/13/02

Pioneers drop regular-season finale


UW-Platteville dropped a 66-62 overtime game at UW-River Falls Saturday in the regular-season finale, but still remained the fifth seed in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs.

The Pioneers (13-12, 8-8) will play at fourth-seeded UW-Eau Claire (18-6, 10-6) in a rematch of last Wednesday's game, which the Pioneers won 74-70.

UW-River Falls's Amber Sickels hit a three-point shot with 50 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Falcons a 65-62 lead, then made one of two free shots with 16 seconds remaining for the final 66-62 margin.

Crystal Stietz led the Pioneers with 24 points and wrapped up the WIAC scoring title. She made 8 of 10 from the field, including a layup with 1:23 remaining to tie the score at 62. Stietz also sent the game into overtime with a pair of free throws at the 1:20 mark in regulation. Tiff Flesch, Katie Oliver and Heidi Mess each scored eight points.

Melissa McKernon led the Falcons (11-14, 5-11) with 15 points, and Darcy Olson added 11.

Game Boxscore


posted 2/13/02

Pioneers take giant step vs. Eau Claire


The UW-Platteville Pioneers have come so tantalizing close to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's "Big Four," but have come up just short in their seven previous games against UW-Stout, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Eau Claire.

Until Wednesday.

The Pioneers defeated visiting UW-Eau Claire 74-70 to clinch their first .500 season in a decade, improving to 13-11 overall and 8-7 in the WIAC. The Blugolds fell to 18-5, 10-5.

It was Senior Night for the Pioneers, and all three seniors contributed greatly to the breakthrough win. Crystal Stietz, the conference's leading scorer, poured in 31 points and set a new school record by making 14-14 from the line. Stietz made a baseline jump shot and two free throws with 42 seconds remaining for a 71-68 lead. After the Blugolds' Becca Spaeth knocked down a pair of free shots to make it a one-point game, senior Katie Oliver hit two free throws with 14 seconds left for a 73-70 advantage. After a UWEC missed three-point attempt, Tiff Flesch made one of two free throws with 1.2 ticks left for the final margin.

Senior Grace Foster added 16 points, with 12 coming via the three-point shot, and Flesch finished with 11 points.

Kristi Channing led Eau Claire with 15 points, while Emilee Planert scored 14.

The Pioneers play at UW-River Falls Saturday at 3 p.m. then open the WIAC tournament at either UW-Oshkosh or UW-Eau Claire Monday. The Titans and Blugolds play each other Saturday, with the winner earning third place and the loser hosting fifth-place UW-Platteville.

Game Boxscore


posted 2/8/02

Pioneers' upset bid falls just short


Lakeland College scored the game's last seven points to edge visiting UW-Platteville 63-56 Friday in Sheboygan.

The game was tied 56-56, before Lakeland's Jill Dewane broke the tie with a jump shot with 1:35 remaining. The Pioneers turned the ball over on their next possession, then fouled Lakeland's Kristi Thill. She made two free throws with 54 seconds remaining and then one of two with 28 ticks left after a UWP miss. Dewane added the finishing touches of her 30-point game with a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining.

The Muskies, ranked sixth in the NCAA III Central Region, improved to 22-2 overall, while the Pioneers fell to 12-11.

Tiff Flesch led the Pioneers with 17 points, while Crystal Stietz added 13 points and 9 rebounds; Grace Foster scored 11 points; and Katie Freis had seven. Dewane, who has more than 2,000 points in her career, added 10 rebounds Friday, and Jenny Clements scored 14.

The Pioneers play their final regular season home game Wednesday vs. UW-Eau Claire at 7 p.m.

Game Boxscore


posted 2/6/02

Pioneers pull away from Eagles


By Kristin Henke, Sports Information Student Assistant

Grace Foster hit two three-point baskets to ignite a 11-0 run and lead UW-Platteville to a 82-70 win over the Eagles of UW-La Crosse at the Williams Fieldhouse.

Foster hit a three-pointer to break a 63-63 tie with 6:09 left in the second half to give the Pioneers the lead for good.

The Pioneers jumped out to a 29-16 lead at the 10:06 mark in the first half, but the Eagles went on a 23-4 run over the next 7 minutes to take the lead 39-33. A three-pointer by Tiff Flesch put the Pioneers within three, and free throws by Katie Freis and Crystal Stiez gave UWP a 42-41 lead at half.

Stietz led the Pioneers with 25 points, and in the process became the eighth player in UWP history to surpass 400 points in a season, as she has 408. Foster chipped in 15 points, including four three-pointers, and Flesch had 11 points and 13 rebounds. Angie Sisson followed with 10 points and Heidi Mess scored 8.

The Pioneers are now 12-10 overall, 7-7 in the WIAC. This is the first time since the 1991-92 season that the Pioneers have 12 victories. UW-La Crosse fell to 6-15 overall, and 2-11 in the WIAC. UW-Platteville takes on UW-Eau Claire next Wednesday Feb. 13th at the Williams Fieldhouse for the final regular season home game at 7 p.m.

Game Boxscore


posted 2/2/02

Pointers topple Pioneers


UW-Stevens Point opened the game with a 13-4 run and answered every UW-Platteville challenge to post an 80-65 women's basketball victory Saturday in UWSP's Quandt Fieldhouse.

The Pioneers hung with the Pointers after that initial burst and trailed just 29-22 with 2:38 remaining. The host Pointers, however, closed the half with a 9-3 run to take a 38-25 lead.

After trailing by as many as 20 points in the second half, UW-Platteville sliced the deficit to 57-47 on a pair of jumpers by Heather Dietzel. The Pointers, however, scored the next seven points to put the visitors away.

UW-Stevens Point improved to 19-2 overall and 10-2 in the WIAC, while the Pioneers fell to 11-10, 6-7. Tiff Flesch and Crystal Stietz led the offensive attack with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

The Pioneers' next game is Wednesday vs. UW-La Crosse at 7 p.m. in Williams Fieldhouse.

Game Boxscore