The No. 21 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team made several critical plays in the final five minutes of regulation Saturday night to secure a 68-66 victory over UW-Platteville in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown at Kachel Gymnasium.
Senior forward Cole Van Schyndel scored the go-ahead basket with 3.3 seconds remaining, taking a pass from sophomore guard/forward Derek Rongstad low on the left and finishing with the right hand. He tallied 15 of his team-high 17 points in the second half to lead the Warhawks (12-3 overall, 1-3 WIAC).
The Pioneers (7-8, 0-4) didn't get a shot off on the other end before the final buzzer sounded.
Sophomore guard Andre Brown registered 14 points, including nine in the second half. Senior guard Drew Bryson and junior forward Scotty Tyler collected nine points each, with Tyler adding seven rebounds, two blocks and three steals.
Rongstad posted six rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
The Warhawks started the contest on a 17-4 run before the Pioneers scored seven straight points to get within 17-11 at the 8:54 mark.
Bryson gave UW-Whitewater a nine-point lead on the next possession on a 3-pointer, but UW-Platteville whittled its deficit to 31-29 by the end of the period.
The Pioneers carried the momentum into the second half, using an 11-0 run to take a 44-37 advantage with 13:25 remaining.
The Warhawks chipped away at their deficit, converting 13-of-19 free throws in the half and eventually taking the lead on a 3-point play by Brown with 5:24 to play.
UW-Platteville took the lead back on the next possession, but UW-Whitewater took it back for good on the other end on a jumper by Van Schyndel with 5:03 on the clock.
Van Schyndel scored the next four Warhawk points, and Brown followed with the next five, putting UW-Whitewater ahead 66-61 with 1:37 left in the contest.
The Pioneers tied the game at 66-66 with 30 seconds remaining, and UW-Whitewater held the ball before setting up Van Schyndel for the go-ahead bucket.
The Warhawks continue conference play Wednesday at UW-Oshkosh at 7 p.m.