Pioneers fall to La Crosse in battle of East and West
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Wis.-Platteville
5-2, 5-1 WIAC
|
26 | 31 | 57 |
|
Wis.-La Crosse
6-1, 5-1 WIAC
|
24 | 41 | 65 |
Team Stats
Wis.-La Crosse
| Game Statistics | Wis.-Platteville | Wis.-La Crosse |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (16-51) | (27-53) |
| Field Goal % | 31.4% | 50.9% |
| Rebounds | 30 | 36 |
| Assists | 2 | 13 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 11 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 7 | 20 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 10 | 6 |
| Pts in the Paint | 18 | 38 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 3 | 2 |
| Bench Pts | 7 | 7 |
LA CROSSE, Wis. – University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball (5-2, 5-2 WIAC), the #1 seed in the WIAC East Division, fell 65-57 to the #1 seed in the West, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (6-1, 6-1 WIAC). Wednesday night's cross-division pairing in Mitchell Hall marks the final week of WIAC regular season play before the start of the WIAC Championship (presented by Culver's ) on Monday.
The Pioneers were held to 31.4 percent (16-51) from the floor while the Eagles were led by Seth Anderson who scored 19 points while shooting 8-12 from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line.
Quentin Shields (Sr./Chicago, Ill.) had a season high and game high 25 points while pulling down four rebounds.
The contest saw six lead changes along with ten ties while neither team led by more than eight points. UW-La Crosse pulled away to a 20-12 lead with 8:55 remaining in the first half. The Pioneers responded with the next ten straight points starting with a made jump shot by Drew Gunnink (Sr./Brandon, Wis.) followed by a 3-pointer by Shields, Logan Pearson (Fr./Appleton, Wis.) with a layup and one, and another jump shot by Shields.
Locked 24-24 with less than a minute left in the first frame, Shields' made jump shot at 00:37 gave the Pioneers a two-point lead to start the second half.
The Eagles pulled away and had a 46-38 lead with 9:52 remaining, but Shields led the comeback with three consecutive 3-point shots and with 3:51 to go the teams were tied 55-55. Unfortunately, the Pioneers were unable to reclaim the lead and UW-La Crosse pulled ahead in the final minutes for the 65-57 victory.
Kyle Tuma (Jr./Valders, Wis.) hit double digits with 11 points, but foul trouble plagued the second half for the starter. Justin Fox (Sr./Emington, Ill.) had a team high five rebounds.
The Pioneers held the advantage at the foul line with 79.2 percent (19-24) while the Eagles finished 70 percent (7-10).
UW-La Crosse shot 50.9 percent (27-53) from the field with 26.7 percent (4-15) from 3-point territory.
The two teams will square off once again on Friday night at 7 p.m. when the Pioneers return home for Senior Night.