Pioneers Prevail In Overtime Against Titans

Brett Stangel drained seven three-pointers to help UW-Platteville overcome a 16-point deficit in its 74-69 overtime win against the UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team on Wednesday (Jan. 25) in Platteville.

The Pioneers (11-8/5-5 WIAC) scored a 6-0 run to begin both the second half and overtime. In the extra session, Stangel and Chas Cross hit lay-ups to take a 66-62 lead. The Titans (4-14/0-9 WIAC) turned the ball over five times in the final five minutes to end any hopes of a victory.

Stangel totaled 27 points on the strength of his school-record seven triples. Cross added 26 points and eight rebounds for the Pioneers, who made 20 free throws (80-percent accuracy) and got seven assists from Rob Stallion.

John Flanigan (Sr. • Oshkosh) became the 29th man in UW-Oshkosh history to score 1,000 career points. Flanigan counted 17 points and 12 rebounds in the game, while Greg Schrimpf (Sr. • Manitowoc) opened 5-of-5 behind the arc on his way to 19 points. The Titans booked a season-best 12 three-pointers with 57 percent efficiency (21 attempts).

Jim Stocki buried three free throws early to tie the score at 11. UW-Oshkosh then used a jumper by Flanigan, five points by Jade Royston (So. • Wisconsin Dells) and a triple from Cory Nickel (So. • Waupun) to lead, 23-13, with 8:23 on the clock.

Two more long-range buckets by Schrimpf and a three-pointer from Nickel made it a 39-23 margin. The Pioneers then tallied 13 unanswered points, with a Cross triple cutting their deficit to 39-30 at the break.

Cross counted a lay-in and two foul shots as UW-Platteville kept rallying after halftime. The Titan advantage was completely gone when Cross drove for two points and made it 43-43 with 14:30 remaining in the second period.

Schrimpf dialed up another basket from long range to put UW-Oshkosh ahead, 49-47. That cushion reached six (55-49), but Stangel nailed consecutive three-pointers to tie the game with six minutes left. The game went to overtime after Flanigan's three-ball equaled the score with 1:03 on the clock.

The Titans ended with 51 percent shooting (24-47) and 9-of-11 success (82 percent) at the charity stripe. Mario Johnson (Jr. • Milwaukee) paced the squad with five assists, but UW-Oshkosh couldn't overcome its 20 giveaways.

Shooting 40 percent (23-58) overall, UW-Platteville turned the ball over nine times. The Pioneers grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and knocked down 8-of-21 three-pointers (38 percent).

UW-Oshkosh collides with UW-La Crosse on Saturday (Jan. 28) in La Crosse.