Eagles' three-point shooting downs Men's Hoops

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Hot three-point shooting by UW-La Crosse setback the University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team, 85-70, on Saturday afternoon in Mitchell Hall. 

The Eagles made 14-of-26 three-pointers and was 9-of-16 in the first half. Luke Tweed and Calahan Skogman each scored 23 points and made four three-pointers apiece. 

Senior Chas Cross led the Pioneers with 20 points and was 9-of-11 from the field. He also tallied a team-best seven rebounds and recorded his 48th block of the season, tying the school record. Classmate Eric "Skip" Gerber tied a career-best with 18 points, while Boston Johnson added 12 points. Junior Jim Stocki rounded out the Pioneers' double-digit scorers with 11. 

The Eagles were up by one, 21-20, with 7:09 till halftime, before they broke the game open with an 11-0 run, and took a 42-28 lead into the locker room. 

The Pioneers got within striking distance midway through the second half when they went on a 14-3 run, cutting UWL's lead to two-points, 56-54. The Eagles stopped the Pioneers' run and answered with a 12-2 run of their own, pushing their lead back to double figures, 68-56. The Pioneers couldn't come up with another run in the final six minutes and didn't get any closer than eight points. 

UW-Platteville travels to top ranked UW-Stevens Point on Wednesday. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.