The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team survived a overtime thriller against UW-Eau Claire on Saturday evening in Kachel Gym. The Warhawks overcame a 10-point deficit, taking the lead with just under a minute to go. The Blugolds forced overtime with late free throws, but the Warhawks took the win after outscoring UW-Eau Claire 16-9 in the overtime period. 

With seven lead changes in the first half, the Warhawks and Blugolds gave the crowd an early showing of how tightly contested the rest of the game would be. Each time a team got a multi-possession lead, the other would put together a run to eliminate the advantage. 

Neither squad had more than a five-point lead in the first half until UW-Eau Claire hit a three-pointer with 40-seconds left to take a 28-35 lead. Jake Quast (Hinsdale, Ill./Central) was able to answer back with a three-ball of his own, giving the Warhawks just a four-point deficit entering the break at 31-35.

To start the second half, UW-Eau Claire put together a 12-6 run to take their biggest lead of the night at 37-47 with 15-minutes to go. The Warhawks were able to chip away, but the Blugolds maintained a slim margin for most of the second half.

The Warhawks finally saw the lead back on their side again with just 2-minutes left to play. Brock Marino (Lake Villa, Ill./Lakes Community) took charge, giving the Warhawks a 64-63 lead, their first lead since 8:19 left in the first half. The Blugolds answered back, but Marino got called on again to put the Warhawks back up after the two teams traded baskets.

Madson hit the front-end of the bonus free throws to give the Warhawks a two-point lead with just under a minute left to play. UW-Eau Claire played out the offensive possession, getting to the free throw line and converting both attempt to knot the game at 67. 

In the extra period, UW-Eau Claire came out of the gates with a three-pointer on their first possession, but Brock Marino (Lake Villa, Ill./Lakes Community) went on a 4-0 run by himself to eliminate the early momentum. 

The Warhawks and Blugolds traded baskets again, with Isaac Verges (Franklin, Wis./Franklin) giving the Warhawks life on the offensive end, tipping in a missed three-ball with just one second on the shot clock.

Collin Madson (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) would swing all the momentum to the Warhawks side with a corner-three with just 83-seconds remaining. The Blugolds only managed one more free-throw, as the Warhawks finished the game on a 6-1 run to pull ahead and earn the win.

The Blugolds struggled to keep the ball in the overtime period, with five costly turnovers leading to nine points for the Warhawks.

Throughout the game, the Warhawks dominated the offensive glass, securing 14 rebounds off their own misses. UWW scored 19 second-chance points through the contest compared to jsut two from UW-Eau Claire. 

Marino led the Warhawks with a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double. Collin Madson (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) added in 17-points, scoring seven of the Warhawks 16 overtime points. Jake Quast (Hinsdale, Ill./Central) tallied 14 points along with 2 steals. 

Defensively, UW-Whitewater forced 16 turnovers from the Blugolds, 11 of those coming from steals. Isaiah Robinson (Racine, Wis./Park) led the team with four steals. 

The Warhawks will head up to Oshkosh to start the second half of conference play, taking on the Titans on Wednesday, January 28th.