Pioneers Hold Off Eagles In Battle Of Ranked Teams

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – In a matchup of two of the top-ranked teams in NCAA DIII, the fourth-ranked University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team (18-2, 8-1 WIAC) moved into sole possession of the top spot in the WIAC standings with an 83-73 win over sixth-ranked UW-La Crosse (16-4, 7-2 WIAC) on Wednesday night inside Williams Fieldhouse in front of a crowd of 2,246 fans.

Three-point shooting came at a premium for much of the night, with both teams relying on attacking the basket to generate offense. That led to 98 total points coming inside the paint, with the Pioneers holding a slight 50-48 advantage in that category.

The game entered halftime tied at 33 apiece after the Eagles managed to erase an early nine-point UW-Platteville lead. The Pioneers shot just 39.5 percent (15-of-38) in the opening half and went cold from deep after knocking down two early triples to finish at just 14.3 percent (2-of-14) across the opening 20 minutes.

The offensive attack shifted in the second half, and the Pioneers jumped out to a double digit lead at 53-43 with 11:44 remaining behind an 11-point run. UW-La Crosse cut it down to six, but UW-Platteville continued to attack the rim, and the lead grew to a game-high 13 at 70-57 with 4:38 to play. The Eagles rallied once again and got as close as six on multiple occasions, but a fast break layup by senior Ben Probst and a pair of free throw makes by senior Brady Olson sealed the 83-73 victory in the final 30 seconds.

UW-Platteville shot 60.0 percent (18-of-30) in the second half and 42.9 percent (3-of-7) from beyond the arc. The strong second half boosted the Pioneers full game shooting mark to 48.5 percent (33-of-68).

Junior Max Love finished with a team-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting, while senior Logan Pearson, junior Joey Fuhremann, and Olson each added 11 points. Pearson finished just shy of a double-double with a team-leading nine rebounds, while Love paced the team with four assists.

The Eagles shot 42.9 percent (27-of-63) for the game and struggled from long range, finishing at 16.7 percent (3-of-18). Sam Grieger posted a game-high 24 points, with 12 of those coming from the free throw line, while Karter Thomas added 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting.

The Pioneers remain at home this weekend for a 7 p.m. tip-off against UW-Stevens Point. UW-Platteville won the first meeting 79-64 back on January 4.