Stocki leads Men's Hoops past George Fox

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team recorded five double-digit scorers as the Pioneers defeated George Fox, 98-91, in the D3hoops.com Classic at the South Point Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. on Saturday.

Junior Jim Stocki led all scorers with a career-high 31 points and also dished a career-best six assists. Stocki was 8-for-12 from the field and was a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line. Freshman Cory Vaassen also netted a career-high 18 points with 16 of those points coming in the first half. Senior Chas Cross was an efficient 6-for-9 for 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Sophomore Boston Johnson added 12 points, while senior Eric "Skip" Gerber rounded out the Pioneer top scorers with 11.

The Pioneers shot a season-best 59.3 percent (32-54) and recorded a season-high 21 assists. UW-Platteville scored 12 fast break points to the Bruins' two.

In a fast pace first half, GF took an 18-16 lead in the first five minutes. The Pioneers then went on a 8-0 run for a 24-18 lead. A three-pointer by Johnson gave the Pioneers the lead back and UW-Platteville never allowed the Bruins to lead again. The Pioneers took a 53-45 lead into the break and shot an impressive 63.6 percent for the half.

UW-Platteville started the second half with a 6-0 run and went up 59-45. The Bruins made a run in the final six minutes as GF scored five unanswered to make it a four-point game, 80-76, with 4:18 to play. Stocki halted the run with a big three-point bucket on the Pioneers' next possession. The Pioneers never allowed GF to get within one possession and held on to a 98-91 victory.

UW-Platteville moves to 8-3 on the season, and will wrap up its Vegas trip on Sunday when the Pioneers square off with Whitworth at 8 p.m. local time.