EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - Both teams were tied after the first and second halves of the game, but in the extra period the UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team outscored UW-Platteville 16-8 to win 77-69.

Eau Claire won its fifth straight game and is now 5-2 on the year. This was the second straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) win for Eau Claire after Saturday's 72-63 win over UW-Stout. Platteville is now 1-1 in the WIAC and 4-2 overall.

The first half was very close, with nine ties and 12 lead changes. The biggest lead of the half was four by the Pioneers at the 1:13 mark.

The defense created many turnovers, especially in the first five minutes of the game. Eau Claire got to a three-point lead at 13:16 on a three after Ryan Shea (Fr.-Duluth, MN/East) tied it up on free throws and made the block that led to the trey. Platteville stuck right with the Blugolds and, after both offenses scored two points combined for nearly three minutes later in the half, the Pioneers kept a slim lead. A three at 3:25 made it a three-point margin. Two straight makes for Platteville put it up four at 1:13, but a pair of Dan Beyer (Sr.-Waukesha/Catholic Memorial) free throws and a breakaway layup by Rashann Goodwin (Jr.-Minneapolis, MN/Holy Angels) tied it at 32 going into half.

Eau Claire shot 13-of-23 for 56.5 percent compared to 11-of-21 for 52.4 percent on Platteville's end. Beyer was far and away the leading scorer with 17 first-half points. The Pioneers made 6-of-11 threes while Eau Claire sank 1-of-3 it attempted.

Platteville came out firing in the second half. A layup and a three within the first minute gave the team the largest lead so far and forced an Eau Claire timeout at 18:58. Though Eau Claire made the next basket, the Pioneers went on a 6-0 run to make it 43-34 at 16:56. By 14:37 and then again at 13:58, the lead was at 12 for the visitors.

At 13:13, the Blugolds went on a 9-0 run to get within three as they worked it inside. The teams went back and forth for the next several minutes and the scoreboard read 57-51 at 7:25. Geoff Probst (So.-Moose Lake, MN) and Beyer made back-to-back shots to make it 57-55 and then Goodwin and Shea nailed consecutive three-pointers as Eau Claire took a 61-57 lead. Charlie Lohoff made a layup at 1:23 for Platteville and was fouled, but missed the free throw. Eau Claire kept Platteville from tying on the Pioneers' second-to-last possession when Beyer forced his man under the hoop. His pass back out was picked by Eau Claire. However, after Shea missed a free throw, Platteville came down and Jeff Skemp got a tough bucket down low with 23 seconds to play. Zack Ryan (Sr.-Lake Elmo, MN/Tartan) took a jumper as time expired, but the potential game-winner rolled in and out to send the game to an extra period.

Beyer made a layup at 4:36 in overtime and Eau Claire kept the lead throughout. A free throw got it back within one, but Beyer scored another and Shea followed with a breakaway score as the Blugolds built a five-point cushion. Platteville would get within a three-pointer at 3:03 and 1:57, but the Blugolds kept forcing turnovers and won by eight. Overtime saw seven Eau Claire points off turnovers after 12 were scored in the second half. Platteville scored no points off turnovers in either period. Shea provided nine of the overtime points

For the game, Eau Claire hit 27-of-56 for 48.2 percent, though Platteville's mark was nearly as good at 48.0 percent off 24-for-50. They made half of their 16 long-range shots while the Blugolds put in 4-of-15. The Blugolds shot 59.4 percent on free throws, draining 19-of-32. The Pioneers shot 13-of-19 for 68.4 percent.

Though Eau Claire was outrebounded 37-to-26, they made the most of 22 takeaways. The Blugolds turned the turnovers into 27 points while the Pioneers had just 10 points off eight turnovers. Shea led the way with a season-high six steals. The Blugolds also outdid Platteville in the paint (40