Pioneers Win Big on Senior Night

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team (6-2, 6-2 WIAC) defeated the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (6-2, 6-2 WIAC) 73-50 Friday night on Bo Ryan Court.

The Pioneers held the Eagles to 30.4 percent (17-56) from the field with 17.4 percent (4-23) from beyond the 3-point arc during the last game of the regular season.

"I was pleased with how we mentally bounced back from Wednesday night's loss and corrected some of our defensive and offensive execution shortfalls," said head coach Jeff Gard.   

Kyle Tuma (Jr./Valders, Wis.) was the leading scorer of the night with a career high 20 points along with seven rebounds and two blocks.  Logan Pearson (Fr./Appleton, Wis.) notched double digits with 11 points while Quentin Shields (Sr./Chicago, Ill.) pulled down the game-high nine rebounds along with nine points.

Both teams struggled to score out of the gates with just five points scored between the teams in nearly the first five minutes of the game. It was not until the Pioneers trailed 8-7 at the 13:12 mark that two driving layups by Tuma along with another by Justin Stovall (Sr./Chicago, Ill.) was capped-off when Drew Gunnink (Sr./Brandon, Wis.) knocked down a 3-pointer to lead 16-8 at the 11 minute mark.

The Eagles drew it back to within one point with 5:24 left in the fist half, but an 11-4 run gave the Pioneers an eight point advantage, 34-26 by the conclusion of the first frame.

UW-La Crosse would get as close as 39-36 with 13:07 remaining in the game, but veterans Shields and Tuma along with newcomer Pearson led a 12-point run to give the Pioneers a 19-point cushion, 62-43, with just under five minutes to go. UW-Platteville went on to build up the lead to 23 to secure the 73-50 win over the West Division's #1 seed.

Overall, the Pioneers shot 44.6 percent (25-56) with 31.8 percent (7-22) from 3-point territory. UW-Platteville held a slight advantage at the foul line shooting 84.2 percent (16-19) while the Eagles made 80 percent (12-15) of their free throws.

Friday night's game recognized the 2021 senior class which consists of seven Pioneers who have a combined 20 NCAA tournament appearances between them. Seniors include: 

Drew Gunnink
Alex Ranney
Quentin Shields
Braden Nies
Justin Jarvensivu
Justin Stovall
Justin Fox  

"Happy for this senior class to get a victory on 'senior night,'" said Gard. "This program has always been built on a strong culture, which is a product of strong senior leadership. Obviously we would have loved to have our parents and Pioneer nation in the stands cheering us on and paying tribute to this senior class but with the WIAC COVID protocol we understand and are just happy to be able to give this class a season."

"Looking forward to another opportunity to play again on Wednesday at home," said Gard.

Up next, as the Pioneers are the #1 seed in the East Division and UW-Eau Claire withdrew due to COVID-19 protocol, UW-Platteville has a bye in Monday night's First Round of the WIAC Championship (presented by Culver's). The Pioneers will face the winner of Monday night's UW-Whitewater (East #3) at UW-River Falls (West #2) game. The winners of Wednesday's games will face off on Friday, March 5. Click here to visit the championship website for more information on seeding and tiebreakers.