Pioneers’ season comes to an end in NCAA DIII Tournament

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team (22-6) ranked no. 5 by d3hoops.com had its season end in the second round of the NCAA DIII Men's Basketball Championship as Calvin University (22-8) defeated the Pioneers 76-64 on Bo Ryan Court.

The season's at-large berth into the tournament is a 14^th in program history and fourth consecutive trip to the tournament for the Pioneers. The four Pioneers who elected to use a fifth-year of eligibility due to the pandemic is the first class since 1999 to earn a playoff berth in each season played for the orange and blue.

"Credit to Calvin, [Luke] Morrison got hot. Our guys made it difficult and he continued to hit them, that's the NCAA Tournament for you and I tip my hat to them. We weren't able to get enough stops down the stretch when we needed them, but at the end of the day, I couldn't be more proud of this team. They are unbelievable individuals," said head coach Jeff Gard.

Both teams got off to a slow start, but Calvin started to pull ahead and led 30-15 after a three-pointer by Morrison with five minutes left in the first half. Logan Pearson (So./Appleton, Wis.) had back-to-back layups which sparked the Pioneers' late first half rally and a jumper by Quentin Shields (Sr./Chicago, Ill) cut the deficit to 33-27 with just shy of a minute remaining. The Knights added two more buckets, including a three-pointer at the buzzer to take a 38-27 lead at the break.

The Pioneers found a better rhythem in the second half, but the deficit from the first  mixed with the Calvin's defense and star shooter Morrison proved just too much to overcome.

Justin Stovall (Sr./Chicago, Ill.) had a stellar second half even while in foul trouble and added 14 points and seven boards while Shields tallied 13 and three assists in the final 20 minutes.

A three-pointer by Stovall at the 15:18 mark drew the Pioneers within five of Calvin. The Knights answered with a 16-5 run, 13 points curtesy of Morrison. The Pioneers chipped away and a three-pointer by Shields at the minute mark drew the Pioneers in 70-62, but they were unable to close the gap.

The Pioneers shot 40.3 percent (25-of-62) from the field, including 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from three-point territory and 68.8 percent (11-of-16) at the line.

Calvin shot 54.5 percent (24-of-44) including 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from beyond the arc and 64 percent (16-of-25) from the foul line.

At the press conference after the game, Gard praised the four fifth year seniors at his side. "Every guy up here has character. Braden [Nies] is the 'whatever is needed, I'm there' guy, [Alex] Ranney is filled with fight and toughness. [Justin] Stovall' maturity and growth from day one is simply unbelievable. Q [Quentin Shields] has been committed since day one to making this campus a family and impacting just not the team but so much more. Words cannot explain how proud I am about these guys and what they mean for basketball in Southwest Wisconsin."

Stovall finished his final game of his collegiate career leading the team with 20 points and 12 rebounds for a sixth double-double this season. After the game and reflecting on what stuck out this year, the Pioneer said, "Coach Gard believing in me and I had complete faith in my teammates. In the end, everyone had the mentality of whatever I need to do at the end of the day for the 'W,' I'm in. We always have the support of everyone and having Pioneer Nation come together as one to support the team is an amazing feeling I would never give up."

Shields finishes an illustrious career reaching numerous career achievements this season, including nabbing the number two spot on the all-time scorers list with 1,671 points. At the press conference, Shields said, "It's been a long ride. All the points, rebounds and assists are cool, but all my best memories are with my teammates. Having a family and a tightknit group has given me the confidence to step up into new roles I would have never imagined. They've had my back since day one and I will cherish the memories. I am grateful to be part of this."