Pioneers fall to Titans on the road

OSHKOSH,Wis. – University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball (1-1,WIAC 1-1) was unsuccessful in a conference sweep of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (1-1, WIAC 1-1) and fell 77-68 Friday night.

Unlike Wednesday's matchup, the Pioneers took an early 13-5 lead in the first five minutes in the Kolf Sports Center, but the Titans rallied with 20-5 scoring run late in the first half and benefited from the Pioneers' difficulty on the night from beyond the 3-point arc.

Justin Stovall (Sr./Chicago, Ill.) went 8-for-11 and led the Pioneers once again scoring 18 points, tallying four blocks and pulling down eight boards, but foul trouble plagued the Pioneer later in the second half.

Newcomer, Logan Pearson (Fr./Appleton, Wis.) continued to take strides defensively as the Pioneer acclimates to the WIAC and college ball. Pearson tallied six points against the Titans, but it was a game high four steals joined by four rebounds highlighing the night for the Pioneer.

Quentin Shields (Sr./Chicago, Ill.) added 17 points, a team high three assists and six rebounds while Kyle Tuma (Jr./Valders, Wis.) chipped in eight points and tallied six rebounds.

The Pioneers held the advantage of points in the paint (40-26), but went 26 of 69 (37.7 percent) from the field, 5-for-29 (17.2 percent) from 3-point territory and 11 of 14 (78.6 percent) from the foul line.

The Titans finished 24 of 57 (42.1 percent) from the field, 11 of 23 (47.8 percent) from 3-point range and 18 of 25 (72 percent) from the free throw line.

Overall, UW-Platteville held an advantage in turnovers (10-18) while UW-Oshkosh edged the Pioneers in rebounds (45-35) and assists (16-10). Early on, UW-Platteville held its largest lead of nine with 13:19 remaining in the first half while UW-Oshkosh's largest lead of 15 fell with nearly 8:00 left in the game.

Due to COVID-19, no fans are permitted at WIAC winter competitions, but live stream of the game is available on demand at: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/uwosh/.

Looking ahead, the Pioneers will prepare for their second opponent of the season, UW-Stevens Point. The Pointers split with East Division opponent, UW-Whitewater, with a 70-68 road win Wednesday and a 91-78 loss in Stevens Point Friday Night. UW-Platteville will travel to Stevens Point on Wednesday, Feb. 10 and return home on Friday, Feb. 12. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m.