This is the way it's going to be in the WIAC this year. In a match-up between two nationally ranked Division III teams, #7 UW-Stevens Point prevailed over #2 UW-Whitewater 67-64 in overtime in Stevens Point Saturday afternoon.
box score
Whitewater lead 34-22 at half time, with the score being tied at the end of regular time 59-59.
The first half had the score remain within two points until 14:03 when UW-Stevens Point went up three to 11-7. Kevin Koski (Jefferson/Jefferson) responded, tying the game at 13:04 with a three pointer making the score 11-11. Responding to Koski's three was a UW-SP layup by Evan Sweeney making the score 13-11 Pointers. A Matt Goodwin (Milwaukee/King) three at 12:06 gave the Warhawks the lead, 14-13. The Warhawks kept possession of the lead until halftime where the score was 34-22, the largest point margin in the game for either team.
The second half started with a Warhawk scoring drought, managing only four points in the first nine minutes to UW-SP's fourteen. Stevens Point managed to close the gap to two points, 38-36, at 12:01 with Vinny Ritchay's free throws. Whitewater responded with two Myles McKay (Menomonee Falls/Menomonee Falls) free throws and a Tyson Kingsby (Milwaukee/Custer) three point shot, making the UW-W lead 43-36. UW-SP came within two points of the Warhawks, 51-49, at 4:34 with a Khalifa El-Amin free throw and again at 1:48 with an El-Amin layup making the score 56-54. A key three point shot by Matt Moses of UW-SP at 1:07 tied the game for the first time since 17:51 in the first half, 57-57. Kori Vernon (Madison/Memorial) added two points to regain the Warhawk lead, 59-57 with just 0:39 on the clock. A last second layup at 0:04 by UW-SP's Jared Jenkins put the game into overtime.
The Pointers started the second half with a five point scoring streak to make the score 64-59. Whitewater came back with five unanswered points to again tie the game at 64-64 with 2:21 remaining. UW-W lost Billy Kolinske (Waukesha/Catholic Memorial) at 1:11 with five fouls while UW-SP regained the lead at the free throw line, 66-64. Whitewater had a chance to tie at 0:39 with a Goodwin three, but the shot was not good. Whitewater was forced to foul and send Jared Jenkins to the line where he missed both shots and Whitewater's Kori Vernon (Madison/Memorial) grabbed the rebound. UW-W had the ball with 0:17 left on the clock, but did not score. The game ended with a Pointer win 67-64.
The Warhawks had three players in double figures; Matt Goodwin (Milwaukee/King) with 16, Myles McKay (Menomonee Falls/Menomonee Falls) with 16, and Kori Vernon (Madison/Memorial) with 11. Adding to those statistics, McKay lead the team with four assists and three steals, meanwhile Vernon lead the team in rebounds with nine.
The Pointers were lead by Matt Moses with a game leading 21 points, with Khalifa El-Amin adding eleven points of his own with four assists, and Bryan Beamish with twelve points. Nick Krull lead the Pointers on the boards with seven rebounds.
For team statistics, Whitewater lead in steals with eight, compared to Stevens Point's three. Otherwise, the game was surprisingly even in terms of statistics.
With three teams in the top seven in the national Division III polls this game could be the norm in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference during the 2008-2009 season.
UW-W is 6-1 overall and 0-1 in the WIAC. UW-SP is 5-1 overall and 1-0 in league play.
For additional information: #Pat Miller# UW-W coach
