Men's Hoops falls to No. 15 UW-Stevens Point

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – Despite a 20-point performance by Jake Manning, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team fell to No. 15 UW-Stevens Point, 67-55, Saturday night on Bo Ryan Court.

UW-Stevens Point started the night off by making six of their first 10 shots, taking a 15-6 lead.

The Pioneers finally found their rhythm and went on an 11-2 run, which was capped off by a big two-handed slam by Manning to tie it up at 17 with 9:16 left in the half.

An old fashion three-point play by Manning gave the Pioneers their largest lead of the half, 27-14. Manning ended the half with 12 points and was perfect from the field (4-4) and free throw line (4-4).

The Pointers closed out the final three minutes of the half with an 8-0 run to take a 32-27 advantage into the locker room.

Despite shooting nearly 59 percent from the field, UW-Platteville committed nine first half turnovers. The Pointers capitalized on the Pioneer miscues, scoring 15 points off turnovers.

The Pioneers managed to cut it to a one-point game, 34-33, just under five minutes into the second half. But a three-pointer by UWSP's Joe Ritchay extended the Pointers' lead back to two possessions. The Pointers went on to push their lead to double figures, 43-33, with 11:56 left to play. UWSP didn't allow the Pioneers to get any closer than six points in the final 10 minutes and led by as many as 14 points.

The Pioneers travel to UW-Eau Claire on Wednesday with tip-off set at 7 p.m at Zorn Arena.