Win Streak Continues As Pioneers Take Down Eagles

LA CROSSE, Wis. – The top-ranked University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team (12-1, 2-0 WIAC) won its 11th consecutive game on Wednesday night, beating another ranked opponent in No. 14 UW-La Crosse (10-3, 1-1 WIAC) 83-75 inside Mitchell Hall in La Crosse.

Five players reached double figures for the Pioneers, led by senior Logan Pearson's 25 points on 9-of-20 shooting. Junior Miles Hettinger pitched in with 18 points off the bench on 8-of-12 shooting, while junior Max Love dropped 14 points on 5-of-8 from the floor. Senior Ben Probst and sophomore Bristol Lewis also reached double digits with 10 points each.

The Eagles scored the opening six points of the game, resulting in what would be the largest lead for either team in the first half. UW-Platteville tied the game at 13 apiece with a six-point run of their own, and then took its first lead of the game on a bucket by Hettinger. The two sides went back-and-forth for the remainder of the half, with the difference never more than one possession. There were seven lead changes and seven tied scores throughout the first half, with the final lead change coming on a turnaround three-pointer by Love as time expired that gave the Pioneers a 37-35 lead at the break.

UW-Platteville maintained a slight edge in the early stages of the second half, and even built the lead up to eight behind a three-point make by Lewis and a pair of layups by Hettinger. UW-La Crosse tied the game at 58 with 11 minutes to play, but Love scored six points across the ensuing two minutes to give the Pioneers a four-point lead. Pearson fueled a run that saw the Pioneers take a game-high nine point lead with just over five minutes remaining, and UW-Platteville held off a late rally behind strong free throw shooting to win 83-75.

After shooting 62.5 percent (15-of-24) from the floor in the second half, the Pioneers finished at 51.7 percent (31-of-60) for the game. UW-Platteville went 7-of-17 (41.2 percent) from beyond the arc and were a perfect 14-of-14 from the free throw line.

Junior Joey Fuhremann grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, continuing his recent stretch of strong play on the glass. Senior Brady Olson dished out seven assists, while Pearson finished with five assists of his own.

UW-La Crosse shot 46.6 percent (27-of-58) from the floor but just 26.7 percent (4-of-15) from deep. The Eagles went 7-of-7 from the line in the first half, but struggled in the second half, going 10-of-18 to finish at 68.0 percent. JJ Paider scored a team-high 22 points for the Eagles, while Dustin Derousseau added 17 points.

The Pioneers return home for a matchup with UW-Oshkosh on Saturday night with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. The Titans were receiving votes in the most recent poll, but enter this weekend's contest having lost two straight.