Pioneers fall in OT in playoff preview
February 18, 2006
UW-Platteville and UW-Oshkosh staged a great preview for Monday's Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference post-season tournament first-round game, as the Titans edged the Pioneers 61-58 in overtime Saturday at UWO's Kolf Sports Center.
The Pioneers and Titans will play the rubber game of the season's series Monday at 7 p.m., again in UW-Oshkosh's Kolf Sports Center, as the WIAC tournament begins.
The Titans tied for the WIAC regular-season championship with a 12-4 conference record. UWO, 18-7 overall, is the second-seed behind co-champion UW-Stout.
Kelly O'Keef made four three throws in the final 16 seconds to help the Titans hold off the Pioneers. Her first two gave the Titans a 59-56 advantage. After the Pioners' Liz Tesch made a pair of free throws, O'Keef made two more with 11 seconds remaining for the 61-58 lead. The Pioneers' Lisa Grantman just missed a three-point shot in the final seconds that would have forced a second extra-session.
UWP for virtually all but the first five minutes of the game, but only once led by more than six points. The Titans tied the score at 41-41, but Jill Rajek scored inside, and Kendall Christian knocked down a three-point basket for a five-point Pioneer advantage. UWO tied the game again at 49-49 on Shannon Eggers' layup with 33 seconds left. Brittany Herrick blocked Christian's layup attempt with five seconds to go. A Pioneer turnover led to a long Titan three-point attempt, which missed at the buzzer and led to overtime.
The Pioneers scored the first five points in overtime, on Christian's two free throws and a Grantman three-pointer before the Titans rallied.
Christian scored a career-high 16 points, while Grantman added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Both freshmen made three three-point shots. Tesch added 10 points and six rebounds. The Pioneer bench out-scored the Titans 24-2.
Herrick topped all scorers with 17 points, while Shannon Eggers added 16.
The Pioneers won the first meeting, 50-49 in Williams Fieldhouse Jan. 3.
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