Pioneers edged by #7 Falcons

Visiting UW-Platteville stood toe-to-toe with seventh-ranked UW-River Falls before the Falcons pulled out a 91-84 victory Wednesday in the new Page Arena on the UWRF campus.

Robert Duax scored 29 points, Jake Showalter 13 and Quentin Shields 11 for the Pioneers, who led 47-35 at the half.

Alex Herink paced four Falcons in double figures with 24 points, while Devin Buckley had 21, Austin Heidecker 15 and Clay Seifert 14.

The Pioneers used a 17-7 run over the last 6:15 of the first half to take the 12-point lead into the locker room. Six different players scored during that stretch for Coach Jeff Gard's club.

By scoring the first six points of the second half, the Falcons cut the deficit to six and turned the contest back into a tight fight. Herink's two free throws made it 52-52 with 13:34 left, and Heidecker gave the home team the lead for good at 56-54 on a layup with 11:38 remaining. 

The Pioneers were within 71-69 late, but the Falcons scored five straight points and forced the visitors to start fouling. The last 15 UWRF points came via free throws, as the Falcons held a big advantage from the line. River Falls made 36-42, and the Pioneers hit 15-24.

UW-River Falls improved to 11-2 overall, and the Pioneers fell to 12-2. Both teams are now 2-1 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

UW-Platteville returns to Bo Ryan Court Saturday to face UW-La Crosse at 7 p.m.

By Paul Erickson, Director, UW-Platteville Communications, 608.342.1194, pr@uwplatt.edu