Offense Pours On 125 Points In UW-Platteville's Opening Round Win

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – In the opening round of the 2025 NCAA DIII Tournament, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team (26-2) outpaced Grinnell (20-8) for a 125-97 win inside Williams Fieldhouse on Friday night.

The 125 points is the program's most scored in a single game since 1990 when the Pioneers put up 128 points against Dubuque. UW-Platteville scored from all over the floor to get the 125 points, shooting 67.7 percent (42-of-62) for the game, knocking down 13 threes, and making a season-high 28 free throws.

Seven Pioneers reached double figures in the contest, with the team-high 19 points shared by senior Logan Pearson, senior Brady Olson, and junior Miles Hettinger. Senior Ben Probst added 15 points on five made threes, while junior Joey Fuhremann (13 points), sophomore Bristol Lewis (12), and sophomore Lucas Rameker (career-high 10 points) each helped contribute to the scoring outburst.

UW-Platteville led by as many as 38 in the first half and took a 71-34 lead into the break behind a shooting percentage of 73.5 (25-of-34). UW-Platteville had built a double digit lead six and a half minutes into the game, using a layup by Pearson and a three-pointer by Probst to turn a six-point advantage into an 11-point lead at 21-10. An ensuing 12-point run pushed the gap up to 20, and the efficient offense continued as the Pioneers made it a 31-point game on a triple by junior Max Love.

In the second half, a seven-point run, highlighted by a triple by Probst extended the lead to a game-high 45 at 81-36 with 17:31 to play. Grinnell found more success on the offensive end in the second half, outscoring UW-Platteville 63-54, but the gap never got any closer than 24 points. Olson led the scoring in the second half for the Pioneers, who shot 60.7 percent (17-of-28) across the final 20 minutes to secure the win.

Rameker grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, earning his first career double-double after scoring 10 points. UW-Platteville held a 49-36 advantage on the glass, but Grinnell found success on the offensive boards, posting a 17-9 lead in that category.

UW-Platteville dished out 33 assists, with Love and Olson tying for the team-high with six. Pearson and junior Aiden Wieczorek each added five assists.

Grinnell shot 38.8 percent (33-of-85) for the game and 35.6 percent (16-of-45) from three-point range. Kai Te Huki recorded a game-high 24 points on 8-of-23 shooting, while Strahinja Nikolic and Gabe Garcia each added 15 points off the bench. Jordan Lee rounded out the players in double figures for Grinnell with 12 points.

UW-Platteville advances to the second round of the tournament to face Wisconsin Lutheran College, who beat Calvin 73-61 earlier on Friday.