The No. 21 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team made several critical plays in the final five minutes of regulation Saturday night to secure a 68-66 victory over UW-Platteville in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
Senior forward Cole Van Schyndel (Kaukauna, Wis./Wrightstown) scored the go-ahead basket with 3.3 seconds remaining, taking a pass from sophomore guard/forward Derek Rongstad (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) low on the left and finishing with the right hand. He tallied 15 of his team-high 17 points in the second half to lead the Warhawks (12-3 overall, 1-3 WIAC).
 
The Pioneers (7-8, 0-4) didn't get a shot off on the other end before the final buzzer sounded.
 
Sophomore guard Andre Brown (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) registered 14 points, including nine in the second half. Senior guard Drew Bryson (Elkhorn, Wis./Elkhorn) and junior forward Scotty Tyler (Grafton, Wis./Grafton) collected nine points each, with Tyler adding seven rebounds, two blocks and three steals.
 
Rongstad posted six rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
 
The Warhawks started the contest on a 17-4 run before the Pioneers scored seven straight points to get within 17-11 at the 8:54 mark.
 
Bryson gave UW-Whitewater a nine-point lead on the next possession on a 3-pointer, but UW-Platteville whittled its deficit to 31-29 by the end of the period.
 
The Pioneers carried the momentum into the second half, using an 11-0 run to take a 44-37 advantage with 13:25 remaining.
 
The Warhawks chipped away at their deficit, converting 13-of-19 free throws in the half and eventually taking the lead on a 3-point play by Brown with 5:24 to play.
 
UW-Platteville took the lead back on the next possession, but UW-Whitewater took it back for good on the other end on a jumper by Van Schyndel with 5:03 on the clock.
 
Van Schyndel scored the next four Warhawk points, and Brown followed with the next five, putting UW-Whitewater ahead 66-61 with 1:37 left in the contest.
 
The Pioneers tied the game at 66-66 with 30 seconds remaining, and UW-Whitewater held the ball before setting up Van Schyndel for the go-ahead bucket.
 
The Warhawks continue conference play Wednesday at UW-Oshkosh at 7 p.m.