Notables

OSHKOSH, Wis. – If any one game epitomizes the competitiveness of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, this would be it.

The No. 1 and No. 3 seed, conference co-champions, battling to the last second for a championship.

Junior forward Tim Dworak saved the day for the Titans, sinking a perfect 3-pointer from the low corner with two seconds left to give UW-Oshkosh a thrilling 70-69 victory over UW-Whitewater in the WIAC Tournament championship game in front of 1,578 boisterous fans at Kolf Sports Center Saturday night.

Jake Wolter hit a pair of free throws with 33 seconds left to put the Warhawks up, 69-67 and the Titans brought the ball down the court.

But it wasn't Dworak who was originally slated to wear the net around his shoulders; it was supposed to be junior Scott Sowinski.

Not finding an open shot, Sowinski called for a timeout with 3.6 seconds left. Before the clock could start again, Whitewater called a timeout to double-check its defensive preparation.

Once play resumed Sowinski took the inbounds and proceeded to the basket, but he stumbled, lobbing the ball to a wide-open Dworak in the corner. Dworak flicked the wrist, the buzzer sounded and the Titans — and their fans — mobbed the court.

"We drew up a play for Scotty to dribble-penetrate his guy and he fell down, getting the ball to me for the open shot," Dworak said. "Just felt like a good shot coming off my hand."

Head coach Ted Van Dellen wasn't worried when Sowinski fell, knowing they had an alternative.

"When we called the time out," Van Dellen said. "The guys said let's go for the win. I said let's get them in overtime."

"But we had an option when Scotty fell, and when you see Tim flick his wrist like that," Van Dellen said. "You know it's going in."

The Titans had led most of the game, enjoying leads of seven and eight points in the first half before heading into halftime up by three, 38-35.

UW-Whitewater made a run at the Titans in the second half bolstered by 12 points from Aubrey Lewis-Beyers.

Wolter's 3-pointer at the 1:55 mark put the Warhawks up by two, at 65-63. It was the first time since 19:39 in the first half that UW-Whitewater had a lead.

The Titans tied the game twice more in that stretch, each time on a pair of free throws by Sowinski, but Wolter's free throws looked to be the nail in the coffin for UW-Oshkosh.

"That's just a great team," UW-Whitewater head coach Pat Miller said. "You have to give Oshkosh a lot of credit. They're a tough team, but I thought we would match up well with them."

The victory puts the Titans in the NCAA Divison III Tournament for the first time in five seasons, and caps off one of the most successful campaigns in the program's 108-year history.

Dwoark's 3-pointer capped off a 24-point night, while Sowinski finished with 19, in addition to six assists. Lewis-Beyers finished with 20 points for UW-Whitewater, London Donlow and Wolter added 16 and 14 points, respectively.

The Titans swept two regular-season meetings with the Warhawks. UW-Oshkosh shared the regular-season title with the Warhawks, who now, despite 21 wins, will have to sit and wait for a call from the NCAA selection committee.