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Warhawk men suffer tough loss at Platteville

PLATTEVILLE — Matt Goodwin drilled a cold-hearted three-pointer, UW-Whitewater’s deficit was a mere two points, and the Warhawks had all the momentum in the world.

Stealing a huge WIAC road win on UW-Platteville’s Bo Ryan Court was suddenly a very real possibility.

With two quick whistles, all that momentum was gone.

Immediately after that big three, Goodwin and Whitewater coach Pat Miller were called for technical fouls. Platteville made six free throws on its extended possession and carried that eight-point lead to an 86-78 victory over the Warhawks here Wednesday night.

A sellout crowd of 2,316 was treated, not unexpectedly, to an intense battle between these two WIAC rivals fighting for second place behind league-leading UW-Stevens Point. Platteville, ranked No. 5 nationally by D3hoops.com, came out of the fray alone in second at 15-2, 7-1, a game behind the Pointers.

Whitewater, ranked No. 7 by D3hoops, fell to 14-3, 6-2, two games behind Stevens Point, but with home games remaining against both the teams ahead of them in the standings.

The Warhawks thought they deserved a better opportunity for victory Wednesday night. After Goodwin’s clutch three-pointer pulled Whitewater within 72-70 with 3:33 left, the senior was given a technical for taunting the crowd, an explanation that befuddled Miller.

“I’ve coached for 18 years, and I’ve never seen a technical on a player for taunting the crowd,” Miller said. “That’s a personal first.”

While discussing the call with one official as Platteville’s Mike Shaw shot free throws, Miller was blindsided by a technical called on him by the official on the opposite end of the court. It was later explained to Miller that he was whistled for stepping out of the coach’s box.

“You want the game to be about the players,” said Platteville coach Paul Combs, who also was assessed a technical a few minutes earlier in the game. “It was a tough situation, I’m sure, for both teams.”

Shaw made all four of the technical free throws, and Platteville’s Jeff Skemp was fouled and made two more, boosting the Pioneers’ lead to 78-70 in the blink of an eye. It was never less than five after that.

“That was pretty important,” Miller said. “When you’ve got two of the top 10 teams in the country ...”

Miller didn’t finish the thought, but he didn’t have to. The technicals halted Whitewater’s surge, and the Warhawks didn’t make another field goal until the final 15 seconds as Platteville built its lead back to double digits.

“I’m extremely disappointed in myself for getting that technical,” Miller said.

Both teams displayed outstanding offensive balance in the game, each squad putting five players in double figures. Myles McKay scored 22 points for Whitewater, Kori Vernon 16, Billy Kolinske 14, and Goodwin and Dustin Mitchell 11 apiece.

Skemp made 10 of 14 field-goal attempts in posting a game-high 24 points for Platteville. Curt Hanson added 21, Nick Allen 12, Charlie Lohoff 11 and Shaw 10.

“In the first half, they were very efficient, offensively,” Miller said. “When you fall behind on the road to a good team, it’s difficult.”

After a Hanson three-pointer gave Platteville a 46-34 lead early in the second half, the Warhawks responded with a quick 11-2 run. Kolinske scored eight of his points in the 2½ minute spurt, and McKay had three points.

Platteville’s lead was back to 11 with five minutes left when Whitewater rallied again, this time with nine unanswered points in just 60 seconds. The Warhawks hit three free throws, and Goodwin nailed a couple threes, the latter leading into the infamous and decisive stretch.

“This is a disappointing loss, but if we don’t rebound and play well on Saturday (at home against UW-Superior) it can be a devastating loss,” Miller said. “We have to focus on Saturday.”

PLATTEVILLE 86, WHITEWATER 78

Whitewater (78)—Goodwin 4-12 1-5 11, McKay 7-12 4-4 22, Vernon 5-7 6-8 16, Kolinske 4-5 6-6 14, Kingsby 0-4 2-2 2, Mitchell 5-7 1-1 11, Vines 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 26-49 6-14 78.

Platteville (86)—Hanson 8-12 2-3 21, Allen 5-7 0-0 12, Lohoff 2-6 6-7 11, Skemp 10-14 4-4 24, Shaw 2-8 4-4 10, Richter 1-1 0-0 3, Wall 2-3 1-1 5. Totals: 30-53 17-20 86.

UW-Whitewater 34 44—78

UW-Platteville 43 43—86

Three-point goals—Whitewater 6-14 (McKay 4-7, Goodwin 2-6, Mitchell 0-1), Platteville 9-19 (Hanson 3-5, Allen 2-2, Lohoff 1-4, Shaw 2-7, Richter 1-1). Rebounds—Whitewater 25 (McKay 6), Platteville 24 (Shaw 5). Assists—Whitewater 12 (McKay 3), Platteville 21 (Hanson 7). Total fouls—Whitewater 22, Platteville 21. Fouled out—Goodwin.

Attendance—2,316.