WBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[badgerwarhawk]

LaCrosse: 57
WARHAWKS: 70

The WARHAWKS used a 12-0 run over the game's final four minutes to pull away and even their season's record at 8-8.  The Eagles led 11-6 after the first four minutes before the WARHAWKS ran off twelve straight to go up 18-11 and built the lead up to eight points before the half ended 34-31.  Five players off the WARHAWKS bench outscored the Eagles bench 14-0.  Lisa Palmer's 9 points led the WARHAWKS but Rachel Atkinson and Elise DeNoyer combined for 23 points keeping the Eagles close.  The Eagles tied the game twice and kept the deficit in single digits for sixteen minutes in the second half but  the WARHAWKS responded and the scoring run down the stretch put the game away.  The Eagles were held to 29% from the floor in the final stanza.

Lisa Palmer: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals
Abbie Reeves: 12 points
Malia Smith: 7 points, 8 rebounds
Brooke Trewyn: 4 assists, 3 steals
Bench points: 30-9

LaCrosse:
Atkinson: 15 points
DeNoyer: 11 points

[JMM]

Do believe the WIAC will have one of its best races in a long time. Superior, OSH, EC are all looking pretty strong as the season progresses. It will be the team that is mentally tough that will win the WIAC. At this juncture schedule may favor EC who plays SUP. and OSH at home. I look for Stout and Point to have a few big games. I also look for LAX to win a big upset as they usually do. Finally think the WIAC champ and the tournament champ will be two different teams. Which may limit the WIAC to 1 team  in the NCAA

[badgerwarhawk]

WARHAWKS: 48
Stevens Point: 67

The WARHAWKS connected on all six of their first shots jumping out to a 16-4 lead and held the lead for the first fourteen and half minutes before the Pointers tied the game 22-22.  After the two teams traded the lead a couple of times the Pointers went on top 26-25 with three minutes remaining and led 32-25 at the half.  Abbie Reeves led the WARHAWKS with 11 points and Emily Jensen's 5 rebounds were a team high.  The Pointers went 15-18 from the charity stripe while the WARHAWKS shot only 2 free throws making both.  The Pointers opened the second half with a 10-2 run increasing the lead to fifteen 42-27.  The WARHAWKS were able to get within single digits several times, the closest being eight points but with the Pointers shooting one free throw after another were never able to get over the hump.   Both teams sank nineteen shots with the WARHAWKS holding a 5 to 2 advantage from beyond the arc.  However the Pointers shot 34 free throws connecting on 27 while the WARHAWKS shot 7 of which 5 were successfull.  Reeves finished with 14 points while Lisa Palmer added 10 and a team high 5 rebounds.  Malia Smith contributed 3 steals.  Lauren Anklam led the Pointers with 19 points and Kaitlyn Jacobs finished with 17. 

[badgerwarhawk]

Superior: 68
WARHAWKS: 65

Despite shooting a season low 31% from the floor and losing their leading rebounder to a season ending injury  the WARHAWKS hung tough and put a scare into the visiting Yellow Jackets before falling 68-65.  Trailing by as many as ten points in the first half the WARHAWKS rallied and took a lead at the eight minute mark holding it until the Yellow Jackets tied it with a minute remaining and sank a three point basket with fifteen seconds to go for a 36-33 half time lead.  Superior gradually built the lead to ten points in the first eleven minutes of the second half but the WARHAWKS stormed back with a 13-1 run taking a 57-55 lead with 5:21 to go.  However the Yellow Jackets tied the game with four minutes remaining and built a six point lead 67-61 with just under a minute and half on the clock.  A pair of free throws by Malia Smith cut the deficit to two points, 67-65 with forty two seconds.  After the Yellow Jackets hit one of two free throws the WARHAWKS had two chances to tie but both three point attempts fell short.

Abbie Reeves: 13 points
Malia Smith: 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals
Andrea Meinert: 9 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal

Superior:
Sally Linzmeier: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
Brynn Liljander: 16 points
Grace Kennedy: 11 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

 

[badgerwarhawk]

Platteville: 59
WARHAWKS: 55

It was another close but no cigar night for the WARHAWKS as we were able to pull to within a single point, 56-55, with under a minute to play but missed a shot which was rebounded by the Pioneers and gave up a rebound on a missed free throw with :12 remaining.  The WARHAWKS opened the scoring and led by as many as six points for the first thirteen minutes of the game.  After the Pioneers took the lead they held it for about three minutes before the WARHAWKS managed to regain it and hold it to the 1:44 mark when the Pioneers retook the lead and led by a pair, 29-27, at the half.  Though the WARHAWKS hit on more shots 11-10 including 4-2 from beyond the arc the Pioneers connected on 7 of 8 free throws while the WARHAWKS shot just 2 connecting on 1 of them.   Abbie Reeves 8 points led the WARHAWKS.  Reilly Stewart put the WARHAWKS back on top with a three pointer to open the second half but the Pioneers responded and took the lead for good after about three minutes.  The Pioneer lead never exceeded 8 points and the WARHAWKS were able to cut it to a single point twice in the last five minutes.

Maddie Bare: 11 points
Abbie Reeves: 10 points, 7 rebounds
Malia Smith: 6 points, 4 assists, 3 steals

Platteville:
Alyssa Krajco: 18 points, 16 rebounds
Keely Schulz: 16 points, 9 rebounds
Stacy Clark: 14 points

One of these days we're going to find a way to finish one of these.

[badgerwarhawk]

WARHAWKS: 56
LaCrosse: 54

Freshman Andrea Mieinert's put back of a missed shot with less than one second remaining broke a three game losing streak and gave the WARHAWKS a much needed win.  The first half was a see-saw affair with eight ties and seven lead changes.   The WARHAWKS largest lead was four points and Eagle's three points.  With the Eagles leading by three with thirty-three seconds to play Kate McKay's offensive rebound and layup closed the gap to a single point, 29-28, at the intermission.  The Eagles held the lead and built it to a high of eight points twice through the first sixteen minutes of the second half.  With four minutes remaining Reilly Stewart sank a three point shot tied the game 51-51 and Malia Smith's free throw gave the WARHAWKS their first lead of the half 52-51.  The Eagles would tie it at 52 with a free throw two minutes later.  After a pair of WARHAWKS turnovers and a pair of missed shots by the Eagles Andrea Olson sank a pair of free throws regaining the lead 54-52 but the Eagles matched that with a pair of their own with twenty-three seconds setting the stage for Meinert's heroics. 

Kate McKay: 11 points, 9 rebounds (6 offensive), 1 block, 1 steal
Andrea Meinert: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal
Reilly Stewart: 9 points, 4 steals
Brooke Trewyn: 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block
Abbie Reeves: 3 assists
Bench Points: 28-6

LaCrosse:
Maggie Bishop: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists
Elise DeNoyer: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
MaKenzie Miller: 8 points, 7 rebounds
Rachel Atkinson: 8 points, 4 steals

[bulk19]

Congrats to UWL's Lois Heeren, who last night * notched her 200th victory as the Eagles' head coach...

Things are getting interesting as we head down the stretch, as top 6 make the WIAC tourney:

UW-Oshkosh  9-2 and 17-3 overall
UW-Superior  9-3 and 15-6
UW-Eau Claire  7-4 and 12-8
UW-Platteville  6-6 and 13-8
UW-Stevens Point  6-6 and 11-10
UW-Whitewater  4-7 and 9-11
UW-La Crosse  4-8 and 9-12
UW-Stout  4-8 and 6-15
UW-River Falls  3-8 and 8- **

* Sorry for bringing that up, BDB 
** Crap; the overal record got cut off, and I'm too lazy to go back and check...

[badgerwarhawk]

WARHAWKS: 49
EauClaire: 64

The BluGolds opened the scoring and though they never led the WARHAWKS kept the deficit in single digits for the first fifteen minutes of the game.   At that point the BluGolds went up 26-15 and built the lead to a high of fifteen 31-16 before the half ended with the WARHAWKS trailing 33-21.  The bigger BluGolds dominated in the paint out scoring the WARHAWKS 18-4.  The WARHAWKS were cold from the field shooting 24% connecting on just six shots.  The BluGolds lead never shrunk below double digits in the second half. 

Abbie Reeves: 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
Team: 13-15 free throws

EauClaire:
Abbie Midtlien: 15 points
Team: 39-28 rebounding advantage
32-12 points in the paint

[Voice of the Titans]

UW-Oshkosh               10-2      18-3      LX, @SUP, WW, @EC
UW-Superior                   10-3      16-6      bye, OSH, @STO, @SP
UW-Eau Claire                     8-4      13-8     @PLT, @LX, RF, OSH
UW-Platteville                     7-6      14-8      EC, bye, @LX, RF
UW-Stevens Point             6-7      11-11    @WW, @STO, bye, SUP
UW-Whitewater             4-8      9-12      SP, @RF, @OSH, STO
UW-Stout                             4-8      6-15      @RF, SP, SUP, @WW
UW-La Crosse                     4-9      9-13      @OSH, EC, PLT, bye
UW-River Falls                    3-9      8-13      STO, WW, @EC, @PLT

2 weeks left to make the top 6.

[badgerwarhawk]

Stevens Point: 52
WARHAWKS: 64

Utilizing a full court press while forcing a fast pace and rotating players so that all ten used played at least thirteen minutes the WARHAWKS avenged a nineteen point loss from earlier in the season and wore down the Pointers for a much needed home win.  The two teams traded baskets early before the Pointers made the first extended run of the game.  With the score tied 6-6 the Pointers ran off ten straight points before the WARHAWKS responded with a 10-2 run of their cutting the deficit to a pair 18-16 at the eight minute mark.  After the Pointers stretched the lead back to seven points the WARHAWKS made another run and with two minutes remaining took a one point lead 28-27.  The two teams traded the lead over the next minute when a Pointer free throw followed by a WARHAWKS turnover gave the Pointers a 31-30 half time lead.  Abbie Reeves' led the WARHAWKS with 8 points while Joann Wolfenberg's 10 points paced the Pointers who had more offensive rebounds (9) than the WARHAWKS had total rebounds (8).  The second half started much like the first with the two teams trading the lead for the first three and half minutes.  Andrea Olson's three pointer put the WARHAWKS on top 37-35 and ignited a 10-0 run putting them on top 45-35 with eleven and half minutes to go.  That lead gradually increased to fourteen points 55-41 over the next five minutes before the Pointers 10-0 run cut it four points with just under four and half minutes remaining.  But that was as close as the Pointers would get as the WARHAWKS finished the last minute 6-6 from the charity stripe.

Abbie Reeves: 15 points
Andrea Meinert: 6 points, 9 rebounds
Emily Jensen: 7 points, 3 rebounds
Kate McKay: 11 points, 4 rebounds
Milia Smith: 4 assists, 4 steals
Team: 48% from the floor, 60% three points, 79% free throws, 14 assists, 8 steals

Stevens Point:
Joann Wolfenberg: 10 points, 4 rebounds
Jamie Destache: 10 points
Lexie Roland: 8 points
Lauren Anklam: 8 points, 3 assists, 2 steals
Team: 35% from the field, 22% three points, 67% free throws, 8 assists, 8 steals

[badgerwarhawk]

WARHAWKS: 74
River Falls: 67

River Falls started with a 7-0 run and although the WARHAWKS tied the game twice they were unable to secure a lead until Abbie Reeves hit a three point shot half way through the first stanza.  The Falcons would regain the lead and the two teams would exchange it and be tied over the next couple of minutes.  Andrea Meinert's layup with seven minutes to play ignited the WARHAWKS who finished the half with a 18-7 scoring advantage and a thirteen point 41-28 lead.  The WARHAWKS lead remained essentially in double digits, reaching a high of 18 points, through the first seventeen minutes of the second half.  The Falcons would close to within five points twice in the game's final minute but missed a pair of three point attempts while Reeves sank four of four free throw attempts in the final thirty seconds to preserve the win. 

Abbie Reeves: 18 points (4-6 three points), 3 assists
Andrea Meinert: 17 points, 12 rebounds
Emily Jensen: 12 points

Falcons:
Richelle Mehus: 21 points, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 3 steals
Kate Messman: 14 points, 5 rebounds

[Voice of the Titans]

Scenarios:

Should UWO and SUP win out, I believe UWO would get the tiebreaker having swept Platteville (both teams would have split against EC).

Should Point and Whitewater tie, Point would get the tiebreaker due to their wins over EC.

But, still two games to sort things out. Could be upsets in the making.

[Voice of the Titans]

Well, the WIAC just became a 1-bid conference. Only hope for anyone is to win the tourney. FT's were the main story at Kolf. UWO got to the line quite a bit, but only made 14-23. NCAA won't look at a 5-loss team from the WIAC, especially with a loss like that on the resume. The danger now is a game at Zorn for the 2-seed. Should UWO and Superior tie, it looks like a Platteville win would give UWO the tiebreak, and a UWP loss + UWW win gives it to Superior. I'd love to see a tape of last nights game. I wrote down 5 calls (going either way) I'd like to look at again.

[badgerwarhawk]

WARHAWKS: 68
Oshkosh: 66

The WARHAWKS had two point leads in the first couple of minutes of the game before the Titans went ahead 7-6 after a little more than three minutes of play.  Though they led throughout the remainder of the first half the WARHAWKS managed to stay within single digits for the most part and the half ended with the Titans on top by eight 32-24 after Brooke Trewyn sank a three pointer with under a minute remaining.  The WARHAWKS were cold from the floor shooting only 31% while the Titans shot 54%.  Nine offensive rebounds gave the WARHAWKS a 12-2 advantage on second chance points though the Titans matched that with an 18-6 scoring advantage in the paint.  Andrea Meinert and Malia Smith each had 4 points to lead the WARHAWKS.  Alex Richard (8) and Marissa Selner (7) led the Titans.  The Titans opened the scoring in the second half to go up by ten but five straight points from Trewyn cut the deficit to five and the WARHAWKS stayed within single digits until a Titan three pointer gave them a 49-38 lead with 13:48 remaining.  The turning point in the game came when the WARHAWKS made an 18-6 run over the next nine and half minutes to take their first lead since the early stages 56-55.  Though the Titans would regain the lead twice after that the WARHAWKS matched points until Meinert sank a free throw putting them on top 61-60 with just over a minute and a half left and the team sank 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.  The team shot 62% from the floor in the second half and secured a spot in the conference tournament. 

Brooke Trewyn: 18 points (15 second half), 3 rebounds
Andrea Meinert: 13 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks
Malia Smith: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Team: 20-13 second chance points, 6 blocks

Oshkosh:
Katelyn Kuehl: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Alex Richard: 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block
Ashley Neustifter: 11 points, 5 assists
Team: 30-18 points in the paint, 8 steals       

[JMM]

Welp, WIAC fans, Stout, LAX, Point and WW have all reminded us why we love the WIAC. So here are my uninformed thoughts as we turn the corner on  another Wisconsin Winter and WIAC Woman's basketball season.
WW over Stout - Stout will be WIAC champ next year #41, #13 #23 #4.... - #41 gets my vote for the second bet player in the WIAC this year.
Plat over RF.
Will Oshkosh recover and beat EC? Nope...Titans very one dimensional and EC knows it. Titans easy schedule at the start of the year is showing. EC coach has rediscovered her seniors who will deliver. 
Sup and Point - a game Shirley would love to win and she is Foxy enough to do it - Point wins.

Note- look for Point to be in the finals of the championship next week.  More after the final weekend....

I remain uninformed