Pioneers Season Ends With Overtime Loss

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team (26-3) came up short in overtime in the second round of the 2025 NCAA DIII Tournament, falling 75-73 to Wisconsin Lutheran (27-3) on Saturday night inside Williams Fieldhouse.

A 10-point run midway through the first half saw the Pioneers flip a one-point deficit into a nine-point lead at 22-13 with 10:38 left until halftime. Junior Aiden Wieczorek scored five points on the run, while junior Joey Fuhremann capped the run with a layup following an assist by senior Logan Pearson. The Warriors got within five as time ran down in the half, but four points in the final two minutes by Pearson helped UW-Platteville take a 30-21 lead into the break.

The lead grew to a game-high 13 early in the second half as sophomore Bristol Lewis sunk a three and dropped in a driving floater to make it 41-28 with 15:06 left in regulation. Wisconsin Lutheran answered with 15 straight points to take its first lead since the first half, and the two teams buried four threes in the span of a minute to sit tied at 49 with 8:18 remaining. The Warriors maintained a slight edge for the next several minutes, but a three-point make by Lewis put the Pioneers back in front with just 25 seconds left at 64-63. Senior Brady Olson made it a two-point game with a free throw, but a foul on a last second shot sent the Warriors to the free throw line, where they made two of three to send the game to overtime tied at 65.

Pearson knocked down a three on UW-Platteville's first possession of overtime, but a 7-1 Wisconsin Lutheran run made it a four-point game with less than a minute left. The Warriors increased the gap to five at the free throw line before Lewis answered for the Pioneers with a tough three to cut it down to 75-73 with 16 seconds remaining. Wisconsin Lutheran missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving the Pioneers the ball with seven seconds left, but a loose ball as time expired prevented UW-Platteville from attempting a shot to tie or win.

Pearson scored a game-high 29 points on 8-of-13 shooting and a perfect five-of-five from three-point range. He pulled down eight rebounds, tied for the team lead with junior Miles Hettinger, and dished out a team-leading five assists.

Lewis joined Pearson in double figures with 11 points, while Olson added seven points. UW-Platteville shot 37.3 percent (25-of-67) for the game, including 31.4 percent (11-of-35) from beyond the arc.

Jacob Stoltz scored 26 points for the Warriors, while Ryan Broeckel added 19 points while playing all 45 minutes of the game. Wisconsin Lutheran shot 45.3 percent (29-of-64) from the floor and 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from three-point range. The Warriors dominated in the paint, outscoring UW-Platteville 34-18 in that category.

The Pioneers wrap up the season at 26-3. Wisconsin Lutheran advances to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history where they will face WashU next Friday.