Four named to All-Tournament team as Pioneers win Nicolet National Bank Holiday Tournament

Photo: Patrick J. Ferron

DE PERE, Wis. – The No. 3 nationally ranked University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team defeated host St. Norbert College 82-57 in the final game of the Nicolet National Bank Holiday Tournament Thursday night in the Mulva Sports Center. Kyle Tuma (Sr./Valders, Wis.) was named Most Valuable Player while three additional Pioneers, Quentin Shields (Sr./Chicago, Ill.), Justin Stovall (Sr./Chicago, Ill.) and Logan Pearson (So./Appleton, Wis.) were named All-Tournament. 

UW-Platteville improves to 13-0 to cap off the non-conference portion of the schedule while St. Norbert drops to 8-4 overall.  

Tuma led five Pioneers in double-figures with 17 points while Stovall's double-double added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Shields (11), Pearson (12) and Jack Huml (So./Janesville, Wis.) (11) rounded out the five in double-digits. 

The Pioneers shot a season-high 48.3 percent (14-of-29) from three-point territory to separate themselves from the Green Knights and build as much as a 30-point lead in the final game of the tournament. 

St. Norbert and UW-Platteville exchanged leads early and often and the Green Knights pulled ahead to an 18-10 lead nine minutes into the game, but a Tuma layup and one midway into the half flipped the switch for the Pioneers. UW-Platteville scored all six of its next possessions and took a 26-22 lead with 6:42 on the clock. 

The Pioneers led 41-33 at the half and held the Green Knights to just two points in the first 11 minutes of the second half while they pulled ahead to a 57-35 lead. Next, back-to-back-to-back threes by Pearson, Huml and Stovall around the seven minute mark contributed to the eight three-point baskets in the second half that surpassed the six made in the previous half. 

At the 4:13 mark, another three-pointer, this time by Alex Ranney (Sr./Waterloo,Wis.) gave the Pioneers their largest lead of the night, 76-46. 

UW-Platteville shot 50 percent (28-of-56) from the field and added 12-of-19 (63.2 percent) from the foul line. The Green Knights finished 33.3 percent (20-of-60) from the floor, 20 percent (4-of-20) from the three-point arc and 76.5 percent (13-of-17) from the free throw line. The Pioneers finished with a 40-30 advantage in rebounds. 

The Pioneers will return to action and Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference competition next Wednesday, Jan. 5 when they travel to UW-Eau Claire with game time set for 7 p.m.