Pioneers Season Comes To A Close Against UW-Eau Claire

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – In the opening round of the 2023 WIAC Men's Basketball Tournament (presented by Culver's), the fifth-seeded University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team (14-12) fell 72-70 in a tightly contested game against fourth-seeded UW-Eau Claire (17-9) on Monday night inside the W.L. Zorn Arena.

The Blugolds took a double-digit lead early in first half as three straight triples highlighted an 11-0 run to make the score 16-5 seven minutes in. UW-Platteville answered with 14 straight points over a seven-minute period to take a 19-16 advantage with 6:45 to play in the opening half. Freshman Aiden Wieczorek had a strong stretch for the Pioneers, scoring eight points, including five straight to increase the lead to six. UW-Eau Claire knocked down a couple more attempts from deep to regain the lead, but junior Logan Pearson kept the Pioneers close, and the game entered halftime tied at 33 apiece.

Early in the second half, UW-Eau Claire used a nine-point run to take a 44-38 lead, but free throws by sophomore Julian Samuels and a layup by Pearson cut the deficit down to two. The Blugolds maintained a slim lead for the next couple minutes until five straight points by Pearson tied the game at 57 with just over nine minutes left. Another 9-2 run in favor of UW-Eau Claire made it a seven-point game, but the Pioneers brought it back within one possession on multiple occasions on layups by Samuels, senior Brad Nies, and a three by Pearson. With 54 seconds remaining, Pearson made a 72-70 game, but the score remained the same for the final minute as the Blugolds picked up the win.

Pearson scored a game-high 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting while adding four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Samuels finished second on the team with 13 points and tied Nies and sophomore Carter Lancaster for the team lead in rebounds with five. The Pioneers shot 52.8 percent (28-of-53) for the game and 37.5 percent (6-of-16) from beyond the arc.

Brock Voigt led four Blugolds in double figures with 18 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Carter Hanke and Spencer Page each added 13 points, while Nolan Blair finished with 11. UW-Eau Claire shot 47.3 percent (26-of-55) from the floor and 40.0 percent (10-of-25) from deep.

The Pioneers finished the 2022-23 season with a 14-12 overall record and 7-7 mark in conference play.