It doesn't always happen, but this one lived up to pre-game expectations. UW-Whitewater, ranked fifth in the D3hoops.com poll, defeated fourth-ranked UW-Platteville 75-62 Wednesday night at Kachel Gym in Williams Center Wednesday night.
box score
photo gallery (photos by Joy Kowald)
It's a sports cliche, but the final score is not an indication of how this game went. There were eight ties in the first half, and Platteville took a 32-31 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The lead continued to change hands the first four minutes of the second half, but at 16:22 Matt Goodwin (Milwaukee/King)'s three-pointer put the Warhawks ahead 41-39 and UW-W did not trail the rest of the way.
However, that doesn't mean it was smooth sailing. Platteville kept the lead in single digits until Dustin Mitchell (Lac Du Flambeau/Lakeland)'s free throw put UW-W in front 66-56 with 1:41 remaining. UW-W got the lead up to fifteen points, 74-59, as the Pioneers had to foul to stop the clock.
The story of the game was free throws. Whitewater was 24-31, Platteville 8-12, a sixteen point margin at the line.
Four Warhawks scored in double figures, with senior guard Myles McKay (Menomonee Falls/Menomonee Falls) netting 19, senior forward Kori Vernon (Madison/Memorial) 18 and a game-high nine rebounds, junior center Dustin Mitchell (Lac Du Flambeau/Lakeland) scored 17, and senior guard Matt Goodwin (Milwaukee/King) 13. Goodwin was the biggest benefactor at the line, hitting eight of nine. Senior guard Tyson Kingsby (Milwaukee/Custer) had a game high five assists.
Platteville junior guard Curt Hanson led both teams with 24 points. Senior forward Charlie Lohoff added 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Junior guard Mike Shaw, who came in averaging over fifteen points per game, scored ten points before eventually fouling out. Nick Allen dished out five assists for the Pioneers.
UW-Whitewater is 19-3 overall and 11-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Platteville has the exact same record, with just three games left in the regular season for both teams. UW-Whitewater will host UW-Stevens Point, the WIAC leader at 13-0 (20-2) and ranked third in the national poll, Saturday at 3:00 in Kachel Gym.
For additional information: Pat Miller, UW-W coach
