Love Matches Career-High As Pioneers Win Fourth Straight

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – Junior Max Love matched his career-high of 27 points as the University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team (5-1) won its fourth straight game by a score of 87-75 over Heidelberg (3-3) on Saturday night in the opening game of the Gabe Miller Classic presented by the DRA.

Love was nearly perfect from the floor in his performance, going 10-of-11, including 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. Most of his production came in the second half to help the Pioneers pull away, as he scored 18 points on 6-of-6 shooting with five made threes across the final 20 minutes of gametime.

Both offenses started slow until a 12-point UW-Platteville run turned a 13-11 advantage into a 25-11 lead with just eight minutes to play in the first half. Nine of those 12 points came via three-pointers, as senior Brady Olson, senior Logan Pearson, and sophomore Lucas Rameker each connected on one. The Pioneers lead hovered around double digits for the next several minutes until an 8-2 run by the Student Princes cut the gap down to five. Pearson wrapped up the half with a pair of free throw makes as UW-Platteville took a 38-31 lead into the break.

Love's second half showing helped weather an early run by Heidelberg that saw the Pioneers lead drop to just four following a six straight Student Princes points. Behind three-point makes by Love and Pearson, UW-Platteville was able to quickly increase the lead back to 10, and the advantage jumped to a game-high 17 on another three-point make by Love and a triple by senior Ben Probst following a turnover. Heidelberg was unable to get back within single digits for the remainder of the game as the Pioneers won 87-75.

The Pioneers shot a season-high 56.4 percent (31-of-55) from the floor in the win and sat at 43.3 percent (13-of-30) from three-point range, the second straight game over 40 percent. Heidelberg finished at 42.4 percent (25-of-59) but struggled from deep, going just 4-of-17 (23.5 percent). The Student Princes got the free throw line consistently, going 21-of-27 (77.8 percent).

Pearson, Probst, and Olson joined Love in double figures, with each player finishing 4-of-8 from the floor. Pearson finished with 17 points, with three made threes and six free throw makes, while Probst (13) and Olson (10) chipped in with efficient showings.

Olson set a new career-high in assists with eight, as the Pioneers finished with 21 total assists as a team, matching a season-high. Love paced the team in rebounds with six.

UW-Platteville will host Gustavus Adolphus College tomorrow evening at 5 p.m. for the second game of the Gabe Miller Classic presented by the DRA. It will be the fourth meeting all-time between the two teams, with the Pioneers winning all four, including last season's 79-67 win.