Love's 27 Leads Pioneers To Opening Round Win

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team (24-4) beat Bethany Lutheran (24-4) 89-52 in the opening round of the NCAA DIII Tournament on Friday night on Bo Ryan Court. The Pioneers snapped the Vikings 17-game winning streak behind a strong defensive performance and 27 points from sophomore Max Love.

Love put on a shooting clinic in the first half, scoring 17 points, including 10 in the first seven minutes, as the Pioneers led 42-31 at the break. UW-Platteville led by as many as 17 in the half, as the defense forced nine turnovers and gathered six steals across the first 20 minutes. The offensive glass proved to be a key factor as well, as UW-Platteville collected 11 offensive rebounds in the half, which resulted in an 8-2 advantage in second chance points.

Love continued to let the three-point shot fly to begin the second half, and his eight points highlighted a 14-point run that extended the lead up to 58-33 with 14:40 to play. The lead continued to grow in the coming minutes, reaching a game-high 39 at 86-47 with 3:33 remaining. The defense led the way for the Pioneers in the second half, as they held Bethany Lutheran to just 20.7 percent shooting and forced another 10 turnovers. UW-Platteville was able to prevent any late Vikings run to win 89-52.

Three players finished in double figures for the Pioneers, led by Love's 27, which matched his career high. The sophomore went 10-of-16 from the floor and 4-of-5 from deep while adding six rebounds and a team-high five steals. Freshman Bristol Lewis tallied 14 points off the bench, while senior Logan Pearson added 13 points and tied senior Brad Nies for the team lead in boards with eight.

UW-Platteville held Bethany Lutheran to just 30.0 percent shooting (18-of-60) from the floor and 27.8 percent (5-of-18) from three-point range. The Pioneers used a strong shooting second half to sit at 44.3 percent (35-of-79) from the field and 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from beyond the arc.

The Pioneers forced 19 turnovers and totaled 14 steals as the defense made things uncomfortable for the Vikings offense. UW-Platteville also recorded 17 offensive rebounds and dominated in the paint with a 44-26 scoring advantage.

UW-Platteville will take on Loras in the second round of the NCAA Tournament tomorrow at 7:50 p.m. The Duhawks beat Gustavus Adolphus 89-64 earlier on Friday to advance.