Men's Basketball holds off UW-Stout

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – Jake Manning's double-double led the University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team past UW-Stout, 55-48, on Saturday night on Bo Ryan Court. 

Manning scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Sophomore Boston Johnson added 12 points, four rebounds and two steals. 

Aaron Jenny led the Blue Devils with 18 points, followed by Jimmy Whitehead with 13 points. 

The Pioneers took an early 13-9 lead, and then UW-Stout scored six unanswered to take a 15-13 advantage midway through the first half. The Blue Devils took their largest lead of the game of four points, 22-18, with just under seven minutes left in the half. The Pioneers finished the final six minutes of the period on a 11-4 run, taking a 29-26 lead into the locker room. 

UW-Platteville kept control of its lead the entire second half. A layup by Johnson gave the Pioneers their largest lead of the night, 40-31, with 10:37 to play. The Pioneers couldn't put the game out of reach as the Blue Devils dwindled the deficit to two points, 45-43, with 3:29 to go. Every time down the stretch UW-Stout made it a two-point game, the Pioneers found a way to keep UW-Stout from tying or taking the lead. Johnson drilled a seven-foot jumper as the shot clock winded down, giving the Pioneers a 50-46 lead with 1:06 left in regulation. UW-Platteville made one last stop on the Blue Devils' next possession, to seal the win with a few free throws.

The Pioneers have clinched a spot in the WIAC Tournament and will be the four-seed if they win both games next week. 

UW-Platteville hosts UW-Eau Claire on Wednesday and then finishes the regular season against UW-River Falls on February 22.