Pioneers bounce back and win big on the road at UW-Stevens Point

STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The No. 2 nationally ranked University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team bounced back Saturday and defeated UW-Stevens Point 72-58 after Wednesday's tough loss to No. 5 UW-Oshkosh. The win in Quandt Fieldhouse takes the Pioneers to 19-2 overall and 8-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference while the Pointers drop to 3-13 and 0-9 in the league.

"Good bounce back win especially on the road in the WIAC and at Point," said head coach Jeff Gard. "I was pleased with our balanced offensive attack from the paint as well as the perimeter."

The Pioneers came out blazing, shooting 53.6 percent from the field in the first half and went on a 7-0 run right before halftime to take a 37-22 lead at the break.

UW-Platteville returned with the same energy and extended the lead to 20 two minutes into the second half after back-to-back layups by Kyle Tuma (Sr./Valders, Wis.) and Ben Probst (So./Madison, Wis.) proceeded Probst burying a three-pointer at the 18:18 mark.

UW-Stevens Point trimmed the Pioneers' lead to nine with 10:29 left in the game, but Quentin Shields (Sr./Chicago, Ill.) made the layup and drew the foul which triggered nine unanswered points in two minutes of play that included back-to-back threes from Tuma and Probst.

Probst had a career night with 21 points, 16 in the second half alone, shooting 9-of-12 from the field while going 3-of-6 from three-point territory. Tuma knocked down 3-of-4 from behind the arc and finished with a ninth double-double this season which included 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Justin Stovall (Sr./Chicago, Ill.) finished with 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds while Shields finished with a game-high five assists.

UW-Platteville shot 50.9 percent (29-of-57) from the field including 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) from three-point range. UW-Stevens Point shot 38.2 percent (21-of-55) including 6-of-18 (33.3 percent) from the three-point arc. The Pioneers made 6-of-8 (75 percent) free throws while the Pointers were 10-of-14 (71.4 percent) from the foul line.

The Pioneers outrebounded UW-Stevens Point 40-25 while UW-Platteville turned the ball over 13 times to the Pointers' five turnovers.

UW-Platteville will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 9 when the Pioneers host rival UW-Whitewater on Bo Ryan Court for the Garding Against Cancer game.  

"Excited to be back home Wednesday with our fan base," said Gard. "Wednesday night will be another great example of why Platteville, Southwest Wisconsin and the Tri-State are so special. Not only do our fans support the Pioneers, but we also take care of our own. With Wednesday's game being our Garding Against Cancer game we will not only bring awareness to the fight against cancer, but also do our part to help those fighting cancer."

The Pioneers and Warhawks tip off at 7 p.m. and fans are encouraged to wear blue as part of Blue Out. Doors and the ticket window open at 6 p.m. Click here to purchase tickets in advance.

"There's something special about being able to represent the orange and blue in Platteville. There's a feeling that the university, alumni, and community have each other's backs. It's personal," said Gard.