With 1.3 seconds to go and the UW-Eau Claire Blugolds down 49-47, sophomore Courtney Lewis was looking for options for a game-tying shot from half court.
“I was pretty worried there for a bit,” Lewis said. “I looked diagonally and saw Teenie (Lichtfuss) and I couldn’t believe how wide open she was.”
Lewis made the pass and found freshmen guard Lichtfuss wide open on the wing. She made the game-tying shot forcing overtime against UW-Platteville Wednesday night at Zorn Arena.
The Blugolds then ran away with the game and won 62-57, improving their record to 4-3 overall and 2-0 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Pioneers lost their fifth game in row, falling to 2-6 overall and 0-2 in conference.
“We had incredible motivation and enthusiasm coming out of the huddle,” Lichtfuss said. “We knew we weren’t going to lose and we wanted to prove it by finishing.”
Lichtfuss finished the game with 11 points and five rebounds, with nine of her points coming in the second half and overtime.
“In overtime I thought we saw a freshman come into her own,” Head Coach Tonja Englund said. “This kind of experience is great for our team.”
However, Englund said that overtime should never have happened.
“We shot really poorly,” Englund said. “We usually shoot better than that, especially at home.”
The Blugolds finished the first half leading 29-20, while shooting just under 37 percent. Platteville was even worse, shooting under 28 percent.
However, the Blugolds’ luck changed finishing regulation with worse shooting percentages along all fronts than in the first half.
The Pioneers took advantage, going on a 22-10 run at the end of the second half, before Lichtfuss hit the game-tying shot to send the game into overtime, in which the Blugolds came out on top.
The Blugolds had a lot of help from their bench, outscoring Platteville 30-9. Lewis finished with 13 points and senior forward Sarah Bingea finished the game leading the Blugolds with 15 points.
The Pioneers only had one player in double figures, senior guard Elizabeth Lawinger with 17 points.
The Blugolds will take their win streak to UW-Whitewater Saturday. The Warhawks are first in the WIAC at 5-2 and 2-0 in conference.
