MBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Greek Tragedy]

I am operating off a very limited sample size, but I do not see any reason to favor Platteville on the road from what I watched.

I'll go with the five point loss for Platteville.

I do. You're not a WIAC homer...

[Greek Tragedy]

Mixed results for the WIAC tonight. They go just 3-2 as I was predicting a 5-0 night. Now 30-14 for the year.

Central 89
La Crosse 77

St. Scholastica 79
Eau Claire 77

Platteville 64
Wash U 62

Oshkosh 68
Elmhurst 57

Stevens Point 79
Superior 36

[WUPHF]

I'll go with the five point loss for Platteville.

File under that is why we play the games.

[hindsight2020]

Scary moment for UWL as their bus was in an accident on the way home from Central on Saturday night.

https://www.kaaltv.com/news/highway-cable-saves-a-bus-carrying-a-mens-basketball-team-from-rolling-off-i-35-/5164876/

[Greek Tragedy]

We go 4-0 last night with three winners scoring in the 90s.

WIAC improv s to 34-14.

[Greek Tragedy]

It's the unofficial WIAC/MIAA Challenge?

Friday
Alma at Oshkosh
Calvin at Whitewater

Stout at Crown

Saturday
Calvin at Oshkosh
Alma at Whitewater
Stevens Point at Hope

Buena Vista at La Crosse
Viterbo at River Falls
Central at Platteville

Sunday
Wartburg at La Crosse


Let's shoot for 8-2.

[Greek Tragedy]

WIAC goes 2-1 on the night, 36-15 overall

Stout fell to Crown 101-90

Stout was down 91-90 with two minutes to go.

https://athletics.uwstout.edu/news/2018/12/7/mens-basketball-blue-devils-checkmated-at-crown.aspx

Whitewater held on to beat Calvin 68-63

https://uwwsports.com/news/2018/12/7/mens-basketball-no-12-warhawks-hang-on-late-for-sixth-straight-win.aspx

Oshkosh smoked Alma 99-74

https://www.uwoshkoshtitans.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/20181207z8ktwq

[Greek Tragedy]

I saw that Finlandia is heading down to play Buena Vista...on back to back nights, the week of Christmas. This annoys me because Point has a hard time filling out their non-conference schedule while other non-nonference teams are willing to play each other, not only twice, but on back to back nights. I realize it's a two-way street and both parties have to agree to play each other. I know playing the same opponent two days in a row isn't ideal, but it's got to be slightly better than playing a non-D3 team or not playing at all.

[badgerwarhawk]

Calvin: 63
WARHAWKS: 68

The first half was a back and forth affair.  Calvin's biggest lead was 3 and it happened after the first basket of the game.  The WARHAWKS largest lead was 4 which we had on two occassions.  The lead changed 9 times and there were a pair of ties.  Andre Brown's  jumper in the paint gave the WARHAWKS a 31-29 lead with a couple minutes remaining in the half before Calvin made one of two free throws to end the half 31-30.  Melvin Brown's 9 points paced the WARHAWKS while Derek Rongstad added 6.  The WARHAWKS scored the first six points of the second half to go up by 7 and by the fifteen minute mark had built the lead into double figures 46-36.  The lead remained in double figures, reaching a high of fifteen, over about the next seven minutes when Calvin hit a three pulling them within nine 57-48.  After a few minutes where the lead remained 7-9 with the teams trading baskets Calvin cut the lead to two points, 61-59, a three pointer and free throw and just over a minute remaining.  In the last minute the WARHAWKS got a layup and pair of free throws from David Sachs and Andre Brown hit 3 of 4 free throws to hold off Calvin.

M Brown: 19 points, 5 rebounds
Sachs: 18 points, 3 assists
A Brown: 10 points
Menke: 8 points, 10 rebounds
Clements: 8 rebounds
Rongstad: 4 steals

Finlandia will play baseball in the WIAC this year.  My understanding is that all of their games will be played on the road. 

[John Gleich]

Finlandia will play baseball in the WIAC this year.  My understanding is that all of their games will be played on the road.

This is said tongue in cheek, but only a little bit...

I wonder if the baseball field in Hancock is free of snow by April? My guess is no!

[sac]

Finlandia will play baseball in the WIAC this year.  My understanding is that all of their games will be played on the road.

This is said tongue in cheek, but only a little bit...

I wonder if the baseball field in Hancock is free of snow by April? My guess is no!

No
http://www.keweenawcountyonline.org/snowfall2.php

they've had measurable snow on the ground midway through April each of the last 5 yeas.  In 2014 they had 3 feet or more on the ground the entire month of April and a foot up to May 10.  But I think 2014 was that cold year when Lake Superior had ice chunks well into July.

Baseball at Finlandia seems....ill advised.  Michigan Tech across the river does not have baseball because.......they're smart?

[sac]

UWSP 82 Hope 74

Nice comeback win for point, they'll played a very sharp 2nd half and needed all of it.  Points a good looking squad, should be big factors in the WIAC and beyond.

[Greek Tragedy]

UWSP 82 Hope 74

Nice comeback win for point, they'll played a very sharp 2nd half and needed all of it.  Points a good looking squad, should be big factors in the WIAC and beyond.

Thanks for the kind words, sac. Hope is always a tough place to play and I thought it didn't look good when Point fell behind by 11 early in the 2nd half.

[Greek Tragedy]

I'm not really sure what to think about Whitewater. While Oshkosh hammered both Michigan teams, Whitewater struggled and really should've lost last night.

[badgerwarhawk]

Alma:97
WARHAWKS: 101  OT

Rongstad's trey opened the scoring but Alma matched it with one of their own and with a few exceptions held the lead for the majority of the half.  Their lead essentially was 2-4 points though they did go up by seven at one point.  Three points was the best lead the WARHAWKS could manage.  The WARHAWKS did manage to grab a lead with about a minute and half remaining when Bressler, Clements  and Sachs all scored but Alma answered with a pair of three point baskets and led 41-40 at the half.   Alma went 16-30 from the floor including 10-20 from beyond the arc.  Every time the WARHAWKS got close or took a lead they'd respond with a basket, too often a triple.  Melvin Brown, Clements and free throws kept us in the game with 12 and 9 points respectively and 9-12 free throws.  Alma didn't get the line once in the first half.  We scored the first basket, a three pointer, of the first half and grabbed a lead but Alma took it right back building to a high of nine points and still led 87-83 with a minute and half remaining.  After that they missed two shots and turned the ball over while the WARHAWKS a basket from Rongstad and a pair of free throws from Melvin Brown to tie and send the game into overtime.  Alma jumped ahead in the overtime and held a point or two lead for the first three minutes.  A jumper by Andre Brown tied the game 93-93 and driving layups by Sachs and Rongstad around a Scot turnover made it 97-93.  In the last thirty seconds the WARHAWKS went 4-6 from the line and Alma missed a pair of three point attempts.   Their freshman guard Cole Kiever hit 10-16 three pointers and finished with a game high 35.

They were the best shooting O'fer team I've seen in a while.  They ended up 51% from the floor including 18-36 three pointers. We only led for 4 1/2 minutes of the 45 played.   Our driving penetrations got us to the line 28 times and free throws ended up being the difference.


M Brown: 29 points, 8 rebounds
Clements: 20 points, 6 rebounds
Rongstad: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
Andre Brown: 16 points, 8 rebounds
Sachs: 12 points, 3 assists

Both games this weekend were ones we very likely would have lost last year.   This year we found ways to win them.  That's reason for optimism.