WBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

JMM · January 05, 2012, 07:19:23 PM

Saturday will provide good insight into EC and SP. Will be very hard for EC o win. They are away and SP is a super team.

kestrel · January 05, 2012, 11:26:07 PM

I saw UWRF last night for the first time this year and don't know what to make of them. They are not particularly good shooters (and tend to force shots besides), and both their O and D look helter-skelter at times, but they are as quick and as athletic as anyone I've seen in awhile. They have some women who are quick off the floor and rebound well for their size. Plus, they have a little swagger many women's teams don't display, while rotating 8-9 players with little drop-off in play.

badgerwarhawk · January 06, 2012, 09:53:02 AM

RF returned 7 or their top 8 scorers and rebounders from last year. Most of them have stepped up their production from the previous year. With that kind of experience and improvement from a team that already had gone 16-11 on the previous season they should be poised to make a serious run. This could be the year that RF wins both the men and women's regular season championships.

Hopefully the WARHAWKS can give them a run for their money Saturday.

WilsonHoops · January 06, 2012, 01:04:09 PM

Something that surprised me is how much SP has an all conference player like Ashley Averkamp sit. Myranda Tyler actually plays more minutes than her, and more importantly to me, Tyler was in at the end of a close game while Averkamp was on the bench.

I'm going to be interested to see the results between this weekends games between Eau Claire and Stevens Point, and River Falls and Whitewater, they should give a hint of who the favorite for the conference title should be.

Also, I saw that La Crosse lost to #4 Calvin by 20, obviously Calvin is good but that's a big loss for a team that's hoping to contend for the WIAC title.

Just Bill · January 06, 2012, 01:08:57 PM

I suspect Averkamp is not 100% healthy. She's already missed two games this season. No inside knowledge. Just guessing.

bulk19 · January 06, 2012, 03:39:26 PM

OK. I'm going to go out on a limb and waffle about tomorrow's Pointer/Blugold game:

Pointers will be p'od and ornery after a loss to UWRF, and Berg is a tough place for opponents to win in...

But the 'Golds get them at a good time of the season, when they have no other things to focus on but hoops, since school is out... And the bigs are playing well, and they team has been shooting well of late, and they are due to win there, too...

That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if the Golds win tomorrow... But, I think the two teams will split the season series... So, if the Golds win tomorrow, Point would conversely win in EC later... And that wouldn't surprise me, either...

So, how's that for hedging my bets on the game?

Should be a good one, though... Methinks there will be a tiebreaker third game somewhere down the line...

Pat Coleman · January 06, 2012, 04:33:26 PM

Quote from: Just Bill on January 06, 2012, 01:08:57 PM
I suspect Averkamp is not 100% healthy. She's already missed two games this season. No inside knowledge. Just guessing.

She looked a little gimpy early in the game at RF but I noticed it less later. Probably because she wasn't on the floor.

Pat Coleman · January 06, 2012, 04:34:27 PM

Pretty cool -- video from the final minute of a 10-year-old upset just hit YouTube.

Check out when UW-Stevens Point shocked Division III by ending Wash U's 70-game home winning streak and its run of four consecutive titles in the second round of the 2002 tournament: http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/women/2002/uwspwashu

Just Bill · January 07, 2012, 12:35:16 PM

That made me smile.

Pat, probably just a matter of time before you found this one too. The almost disastrous/miraculous final seconds of the 2002 women's championship game where UW-Stevens Point beats St. Lawrence.

After this game someone said to me. "If that ball had gone in, it might have ruined lives. That's why it didn't go." Watch the stunned, delayed reaction of the Pointers. It looks like they almost forgot that they had just won the national title.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy1giGM7G24&feature=related

JMM · January 07, 2012, 09:54:26 PM

Thought WW might take down RF. It is a long bus trip. Curious to see the RF and EC game next week. EC has a reallly good team and should be a good match for RF. Saw a fabulous game btw SP and EC. SP is simply is outstanding and took the EC outside shot away which was probably the difference. Coach Shirley handled the bigs during the first half but not the second. I have seen RF, EC SP LAX,WW - these teams are excellent. Worry most about WW they are young and will be dominating in the next couple of years. Anyhow, I like SP best but EC has some fanastic weapons inside and out. I think the WIAC winner will have at least 3 loses. WW and LAX are going to win some big games - as was the case today at WW. I do think EC will take SP at home. Might really get excited about EC if they can take RF. It is a fantastic WIAC year.

badgerwarhawk · January 08, 2012, 11:46:34 AM

The WARHAWKS defeated River Falls by a 64-53 score. RF scored first but the WARHAWKS quickly tied it and took a lead that would never exceed five points and with the exception of one tie they held until just over five and half minutes remained in the first half. RF's lead never exceeded four points and after a couple of ties they led by a pair 31-29 at the half. RF shot 54% in the half while the WARHAWKS shot 34%. They had a significant advantage on the board 22-10 but the WARHAWKS countered by committing only 4 turnovers to 12 by the Falcons. RF started the second half with a pair of free throws to go up four but jumpers from Kaitlyn Thill and Katie Burton tied the game. River Falls would go up again with the next basket before a layup from Cortney Kumerow ignited the WARHAWKS who would take a lead which would never exceed five points for the next six plus minutes of the game. After RF tied the score 48-48 with a free throw the WARHAWKS got another jumper from Burton to go on top for good. The lead grew to nine points 60-51 with 6:23 to play when both teams went cold and neither scored for the next six minutes. Finally a pair of free throws from Burton broke the scoring drought and a layup by Thill ended the game. The WARHAWKS shot 58% in the second half to just 31% by the Falcons.

Mary Merg led all scorers with 20 points. Burton and Thill also scored in double figures with 14 and 12 points respectively. Thill also had a game high 6 assists and 3 steals. Kumerow led the WARHAWKS with 6 rebounds.

Maranda Dohrn led the Falcons with a double-double 15 points, 10 rebounds.

RF out rebounded the WARHAWKS 35-26. Three point shooting was a critical factor as the WARHAWKS sank 6 of 14 to just 1 of 15 for the Falcons.

Pat Coleman · January 08, 2012, 01:13:48 PM

Quote from: Just Bill on January 07, 2012, 12:35:16 PM
That made me smile.

Pat, probably just a matter of time before you found this one too. The almost disastrous/miraculous final seconds of the 2002 women's championship game where UW-Stevens Point beats St. Lawrence.

After this game someone said to me. "If that ball had gone in, it might have ruined lives. That's why it didn't go." Watch the stunned, delayed reaction of the Pointers. It looks like they almost forgot that they had just won the national title.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy1giGM7G24&feature=related

Thank you! I have never seen this shot. Indeed, it very nearly was the longest second in Stevens Point history!

JMM · January 10, 2012, 07:55:47 AM

Hooray Ellen Plendil.You are having an unbeleivable year! There are more good things to come.

JMM · January 11, 2012, 10:30:12 PM

EC dodges a bullet at OSH. Plendil starts flat but barely gets another double double. Would have been a crushing loss. Olson needs to come out of the doldrums. Team needs her BAD. Callie H once again delivers when others are having a rough day. It is a long bus trip to OSH. I think EC has blown 1or 2 there in the past. EC vs RF Saturday. Right now I'd say RF. EC has had some bumby play lately. They will need to be on all cylinders.

badgerwarhawk · January 12, 2012, 10:14:19 AM

The WARHAWKS got back to the .500 mark in conference play and improved to 11-4 overall with a 66-55 win over Platteville last night. After each team missed their initial attempts Cortney Kumerow put the WARHAWKS on top with a pair of free throws. Platteville would tie the game with a basket but a layup by Kumerow put the WARHAWKS on top with a lead that never exceeded five points for the remainder of the half which ended with the WARHAWKS up four 29-25. Each team hit eleven shots in the half and each had one three-pointer. Free throws were the difference as the WARHAWKS were 6 of 6 and the Pioneers 2 of 2. Kumerow paced the WARHAWKS with 13 points while Ashley Henry led Platteville with 9. Henry hit a three pointer for the Pioneers to start the second half. Another Pioneer basket and a pair of free throws gave them a lead they would hold for the first couple minutes of the second half before a pair of free throws by Megan Tkachuk and a layup from Chantel Burg put the WARHAWKS back on top for the rest of the game. However the lead never exceeded nine points and stayed in the 3-6 range for most of it before a pair of free throws from Mary Merg created the double figure spread with twenty four seconds left.

Kumerow and Merg led all scorers with 20 and 13 points respectively. Kumerow missed double digit rebounds by one and Kaitlyn Thill added 7. Merg had a game high 4 assists while Thill, Merg and Burg had game high 3 steals apiece.

Henry paced Platteville with 12 points while Danille Hopkins and Kim Wellnitz added 11 and 10. Platteville had nine more shots than the WARHAWKS including making three more three-pointers. But overall the Pioneers made one less shot finishing the game at 35% from the floor and were outscored 18 to 6 from the free throw line.