Defense Propels Pioneers To 71-54 Win Over Ripon

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – A strong defensive performance and timely second-half shooting propelled the University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team (5-1) to a 71-54 home win over Ripon (1-6) on Wednesday night inside Williams Fieldhouse.

The Pioneers pulled away midway through the first half to lead 21-13 with 9:07 remaining behind an eight-point run. Free throws by senior Logan Pearson put UW-Platteville up double digits a couple minutes later, and a nine-point run pushed the lead to 18 at 34-18 with just over a minute to play in the half. The Red Hawks scored five points in the final minute to trail 34-21 at the break.

After a slow shooting first half, the Pioneers came out strong in the second half, shooting 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from the floor and 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from beyond the arc. Senior Ben Probst poured on 17 points in the final 20 minutes, going 5-of-6 from three, while Pearson added 10. UW-Platteville led by double digits for much of the half, including a half-high 18 at 69-51 on a three by Probst with 2:19 to play. Sophomore Max Love made the final bucket with 1:26 remaining to cap off the 71-54 win.

Pearson finished with a game-high 23 points on an efficient 7-of-12 shooting. He recorded his first double-double of the season by grabbing 10 rebounds, and he added a team-high four assists to go along with two steals and one block.

Probst posted 19 points behind his strong second half, while Love also reached double figures with 10 points. For the game UW-Platteville shot 41.9 percent (26-of-62) from the field and 26.5 percent (9-of-34) from deep. The Pioneers were solid from the line, going 10-of-13 (76.9 percent).

The Pioneers defense held Ripon to just 32.8 percent (21-of-64) shooting, including just 25.8 percent (8-of-31) in the first half. The Red Hawks went 4-of-20 (20.0 percent) from three and turned the ball over 12 times. UW-Platteville finished with a 17-8 advantage in points off turnovers, including a pair of fastbreak dunks from Pearson.

UW-Platteville remains at home for a non-conference contest against Olivet on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off from Bo Ryan Court is set for 3 p.m.