Pioneers Earn Road Win Over Falcons Saturday

RIVER FALLS, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team (15-1, 5-0 WIAC) remained unbeaten in conference play with a 75-66 road win over UW-River Falls (7-9, 1-4 WIAC) on Saturday evening inside Page Arena in River Falls, Wisconsin.

Three Pioneers finished in double figures, with junior Max Love leading the way with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Senior Logan Pearson added 17 points on 5-of-12 from the floor, while sophomore Bristol Lewis came through off the bench with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting.

UW-Platteville led 35-29 at the break in an opening half that featured five lead changes. The difference in score was just one possession for much of the half until a 12-4 Pioneers run made it 35-26 with 35 second remaining. UW-River Falls cut the deficit down to six enter halftime with a three-point make as time expired.

The Pioneers led for the entirety of the second half but held off several Falcons rallies when the lead dipped down to one possession. UW-River Falls got back within three at the 15:16 mark but a pair of free throw makes by junior Miles Hettinger and a layup by Lewis increased the lead back to seven. The Falcons made it a two-point game with 6:26 to play but once again, UW-Platteville answered with a pair of buckets from Pearson and Hettinger.

Senior Brady Olson knocked down a big three to make it 64-58 with 3:19 remaining, and solid free throw shooting helped the Pioneers maintain the lead down the stretch. Pearson helped put the game away in the final minute with a driving layup and UW-Platteville earned the 75-66 road win.

The Pioneers shot 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the floor in the win and 34.6 percent (9-of-26) from beyond the arc. Free throw shooting continued to be excellent, with UW-Platteville going 16-of-17 (94.1 percent) from the line.

UW-River Falls finished at 44.0 percent (22-of-50) from the field after shooting exactly 44.0 percent (11-of-25) in each half. The Falcons shot well from deep, going 8-of-17 (47.1 percent), and hit on 87.5 percent (14-of-16) of free throw attempts. Zac Johnson scored a game-high 25 points with five made threes for the Falcons, while Jack Leifker added 19.

The Pioneers held a 15-5 advantage in points off turnovers, as they forced 12 Falcons miscues while only tallying six of their own. Seven of the 12 turnovers forced were steals, with Hettinger coming away with three.

UW-Platteville returns home on Wednesday night to face UW-Whitewater at 7 p.m. for the annual Garding Against Cancer game.