Pioneers target Bucs in Gard’s 200th career win
DE PERE, Wis. – The No. 3 nationally ranked University of Wisconsin-Platteville men’s basketball team defeated the Beloit College Buccaneers 74-46 Wednesday night in head coach Jeff Gard’s 200th career win. The day one victory in the Mulva Sports Center advances the Pioneers to the championship game of St. Norbert College’s Nicolet National Bank Holiday Tournament.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Wis.-Platteville
12-0
|
35 | 39 | 74 |
|
Beloit
2-10
|
22 | 24 | 46 |
Team Stats
Beloit
| Game Statistics | Wis.-Platteville | Beloit |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (28-57) | (17-48) |
| Field Goal % | 49.1% | 35.4% |
| Rebounds | 36 | 26 |
| Assists | 15 | 10 |
| Turnovers | 13 | 21 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 19 | 16 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 14 | 0 |
| Pts in the Paint | 34 | 22 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 2 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 26 | 23 |
DE PERE, Wis. – The No. 3 nationally ranked University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team defeated the Beloit College Buccaneers 74-46 Wednesday night in head coach Jeff Gard's 200th career win. The day one victory in the Mulva Sports Center advances the Pioneers to the championship game of St. Norbert College's Nicolet National Bank Holiday Tournament.
"I'm very appreciative of all the staff, student-athletes, boosters and fans that have been a part of this milestone," said Gard after the game. "Pioneer Nation has always been special to our family and I'm extremely honored to accomplish this as a Pioneer."
In his 13th season at UW-Platteville, all 200 victories have been at the helm of the Pioneers. Gard is the third coach in program history to achieve the accomplishment following Bo Ryan (353) and Dick Wadewitz (239).
In the game, the Pioneers shot 49.1 percent (28-of-57) from the floor, were 8-of-24 (33.3 percent) from the three-point arc and added another 10-of-12 (83.3 percent) from the free throw line. Unable to keep pace with their nationally ranked opponents, the Bucs shot 35.4 percent (17-of-48) from the field, 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from three-point territory and were 7-of-10 (70 percent) from the foul line.
The Buc's were first on the board, but their first basket of the game would prove to be the last time UW-Platteville trailed the entire night. The Pioneers outrebounded Beloit 36-26 while Beloit turned the ball over 21 times to UW-Platteville's 13.
Jack Huml (So./Janesville, Wis.) had a game-high and career-high 15 points. Also in double-figures were Logan Pearson (So./Appleton, Wis.) with 14 points and Quentin Shields (Sr./Chicago, Ill.) with 12 points. Kyle Tuma had a game-high nine rebounds in addition to eight points.
The Pioneers improve to 12-0 on the season while Beloit falls to 2-10 overall. The win advances UW-Platteville to day two of the tournament on Thursday, Dec. 30 where the Pioneers will face St. Norbert College in the Championship Game at 7 p.m.