Pioneer Men's Basketball - 1999-2000 Season Recap
Kamps, Titans stun Pioneers
Posted 2/22/00
Since the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's media day back on Oct. 20, the league coaches have preached about how the powerful WIAC may be the best it has ever been. Tuesday in Williams Fieldhouse, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Platteville offered amble proof.
The Titans' Justin Kamps drilled a three-point basket with 0.8 seconds remaining to lift UW-Oshkosh to a 67-66 wild first-round victory at Williams Fieldhouse.
UW-Oshkosh, now 15-10, advances to the league's semifinals, where the Titans will play host UW-Eau Claire Thursday. The Blugolds survived a UW-Stout scare and won in overtime.
The Pioneers took a 66-64 lead with 8 seconds remaining when Merrill Brunson took an inbounds pass and drove on a cleared-out right side. He pulled up and hit a short jumper to break a tie.
The Titans did not call a timeout, and Montrell Ross ran the ball up the court. He penetrated almost to the foul line, then kicked the ball out to Kamps on the left side, who buried the three for the game-winner.
The final minute 1:27 was heightened by a 10-minute delay. An all-campus blackout at UW-Platteville darkened Williams Fieldhouse.
It could be argued that the teams shot the lights out. The Pioneers connected on 54.2 percent of their second-half shots, while the Titans hit 57.1 percent of theirs.
The Titans led 37-35 at the half, but the Pioneers stole two straight passes early in the second half, and Bryan Stangel and Brunson converted them into layups for a 41-37 lead.
The Pioneers stretched their lead to as large as 9, before the Titans came back to tie the score at 64-64.
Brunson led the Pioneers with 18 points and finished his all-American career with 1,538 points. He is a finalist for the Josten's Trophy, given to the top player and student in NCAA Division III. Mike Jones added 14 points, Colin Gassner 13, Beau Buchs 11 and Stangel 10.
The Pioneers finished their season 18-7. Coaches Todd Landrum, Joe LaBella, Luke Reigel and Aaron Lancaster lose their senior trio of Brunson, Jones and Gassner, who led UWP to a four-year record of 102-12 with three WIAC titles and two NCAA III national championships.
BoxscoreBlue Devils tip Pioneers
Posted 2/16/00
UW-Stout's Jeremy Leibfried's jump shot with 6 seconds left gave the host Blue Devils a 69-67 victory over UW-Platteville Wednesday.
The Pionners finished the regular season with an 18-6 overall record, including 11-5 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The third-place Pioneers will play host to sixth-place UW-Oshkosh Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the first round of the league's post-season tournament.
Merrill Brunson made 9 of 14 shots from the field to score 22 points. He surpassed the 1,500-point mark in the first half, only the third player in UWP history to reach that milestone.
Colin Gassner added 14 points, and Tyler Selk had 11. Mike Jones recorded a monster game on the boards with 17 rebounds. He also had 10 points and a game-high 5 assists.
UW-La Crosse heads to UW-Whitewater Saturday for the league's play-in game. The winner plays at top-seeded UW-Stevens Point Tuesday. The other Tuesday pairings feature #7 UW-Stout (now 11-13, 5-11) at neighboring #2 UW-Eau Claire and #5 UW-Superior at #4 UW-River Falls. The semifinals are Thursday, Feb. 24 at the highest seeds, with the championship game Saturday, Feb. 26 at the highest remaining seed. The tournament champion earns the league's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.
BoxscorePioneers beat UWL on Senior Night
Posted 2/12/00
UW-Platteville properly paid tribute to seniors Merrill Brunson, Colin Gassner and Mike Jones with an entertaining 89-82 victory over UW-La Crosse in front of 1,951 Williams Fieldhouse fans.
The Pioneers honored the trio before the game, the last home regular season contest. The three have led the Pioneers to a four-year record of 102-10, three Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles and two NCAA III national championships.
The long-range bombers from La Crosse did their best to spoil the celebration, taking an early 22-10 lead. The Pioneers retook the lead at 42-41 on a Gassner free throw, but the Eagles' Paul Manchester made a three-point basket to give UWL a 44-42 halftime lead.
The Pioneers grabbed a 10-point lead at 67-57, but the Eagles clawed back to within 69-68. Tyler Selk's layup and subsequent free throw after a foul gave the Pioneers a four-point advantage. La Crosse narrowed the gap to 81-79, but the Pioneers scored the last eight points of the game. Jones and Selk made layups, and Selk and Brunson each hit two free throws for the final 89-82 score.
The win was huge for the Pioneers, who moved into a second place tie with UW-Eau Claire, but hold the tie-breaker with the Blugolds because they swept them. The Pioneers are 18-5 overall and 11-4 in the WIAC. UW-La Crosse fell to 8-15, 3-12.
Three players combined for 63 Pioneer points. Selk had a career-high 23, while Brunson and Jones each had 20. Eddie Hebert scored 24, and Manchester had 18 for the Eagles.
The Pioneers close the WIAC regular season at UW-Stout Wednesday. They open WIAC tournament play Tuesday, Feb. 22, at Williams Fieldhouse.
BoxscoreBrunson sets mark, keys UWP win
Posted 2/9/00
Merrill Brunson became UW-Platteville's third all-time leading scorer and keyed a strong second half for the Pioneers, who beat UW-Superior 65-51 Wednesday.
Brunson passed T.J. Van Wie for third place with a lean ing jumper in the lane at the 18:46 mark in the second half, earning a standing ovation from the 1,405 in attendance.
Three minutes later, the Pioneers went on a 14-0 run, turning a 31-29 deficit into a 41-31 advantage. The Yellowjackets were only able to cut the lead under 10 once, at 47-38. Colin Gassner's pullup three-pointer effectively put the game away a short time later, giving the Pioneers a 51-38 lead.
With 1,478 points, the all-American Brunson sits third on the Pioneer scoring charts. He had 18 points to take game scoring honors. Mike Jones added 15 points and 7 rebounds, while Tyler Selk had 10 points, 6 rebounds. Beau Buchs also grabbed 6 rebounds.
Vince Thomas had 15 points and 9 rebounds for UW-Superior, who fell to 13-9, 6-8 in the WIAC. The Pioneers improved to 17-5, 10-4.
BoxscoreQuick start keys Pointer win
Posted 2/2/00
UW-Stevens Point hit six of its first 7 shots to take a 16-3 lead, and UW-Platteville could get no closer than 6 points the rest of the night, as the Pointers downed the Pioneers 75-55 Saturday at Quandt Fieldhouse.
The host Pointers remained in sole possession of first place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 12-2 mark. The Pointers are 17-4 overall. The Pioneers fell to 16-5, 9-4 in league play.
UW-Stevens Point led 32-23 at the half, but the Pioneers cut the lead to 45-39 with 12:34 remaining on a Mike Jones layup. The Pointers then went on a 16-5 run to take control again.
Jones led the Pioneers with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Tyler Selk chipped in 12 points before fouling out. Brant Bailey's 23 points pace UWSP.
The Pioneers return to Williams Fieldhouse Wednesday to face UW-Superior. That is a men's and women's double-header, with the women starting play at 5:15 p.m.
BoxscorePioneers' depth helps beat Blugolds
Posted 2/2/00
#11 UW-Platteville's bench outscored #4 UW-Eau Claire's 11-0, helping propel the Pioneers to a 55-51 victory Wednesday in front of 1,568 fans at UWP's Williams Fieldhouse.
The defending national and league champions moved into a tie with the Blugolds for second place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with 9-3 records. The Pioneers, who completed a season sweep of UW-Eau Claire, improved to 16-4 overall, while the Blugolds fell to 17-3.
The Pioneers will take a crack at the top spot Saturday when they travel to UW-Stevens Point to face the first-place Pointers, who are 16-4 overall, 11-2 in the WIAC. Tipoff at Quandt Fieldhouse is 7 p.m.
Once again, UW-Platteville overcame a second-half lead for the win. The Pioneers trailed the Blugolds 39-31 with 13:07 remaining, then went on a 10-2 run to tie the score. Tim Duffy scored all four of his points during that spurt.
Mike Jones's three-point basket--the Pioneers' only trey of the night--gave his team the lead for good at 44-43 with 7:33 remaining.
Merrill Brunson and Jones hit back-to-back jumpers, giving Platteville a 54-48 lead with 2:21 left. Eau Claire's Sherm Carstensen drilled a three-pointer with one minute left, cutting the lead to 54-51. Carstensen had a chance to tie the score late, but his three-point attempt air-balled with seven seconds left. Will Carter made one of two free throws to seal the win.
Jones had 16 points and 9 rebounds, while Brunson had 14 points for the Pioneers. Carstensen paced the Blugolds with 21 points, and Jon Wallenfelsz had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
BoxscorePioneers rally to beat Warhawks
Posted 1/29/00
UW-Platteville earned an important road victory Saturday, beating rival UW-Whitewater 88-85.
The Pioneers overcame a late Warhawk lead for the win. Trailing 80-76, Mike Jones and Tyler Selk hit back-to-back jump shots. Bryan Stangel broke the 80-80 tie with a three-point basket, giving the Pioneers the lead for good. Jones made a pair of free throws with 50 seconds left, scored on a layup 23 seconds later, then hit one of two free shots with 10 seconds left to seal the deal.
UW-Platteville improved to 15-4 overall and 8-3 in the WIAC, one game behind UW-Stevens Point and UW-Eau Claire. The Pioneers play both those teams next week, playing host to the Blugolds Wednesday at 7 p.m. and traveling to Stevens Point Saturday.
Selk paced the Pioneers with a career-high 18 points, while Merrill Brunson had 15, Stangel 14--12 coming on three-point shots--Jones 13 points and 8 assists and Tim Duffy 11. All of Duffy's points, which tied his career high, came in the first half, in which the Pioneers led 47-44.
Ernest Williams led the Warhawks (8-11, 3-9) with 26 points, while Aubrey Lewis-Byers had 20.
BoxscoreFalcons rally to beat UWP
Posted 1/26/00
Scott DeWyre scored all 5 of his points in the final 1:23, lifting UW-River Falls to a 60-54 victory over UW-Platteville Wednesday at Williams Fieldhouse.
The Pioneers' Mike Jones gave the Pioneers a 54-53 lead with a three-point basket with 2:36 remaining and 1 of 2 free throws with 1:53 left.
DeWyre, however, erased that lead with a short jumper with 1:23 remaining and a three-point shot with the 35-second clock running down with 31 ticks left on the clock. The Falcons' Nic Been made a pair of free throws with 24 seconds left for the final margin.
UW-Platteville slipped to 14-4 overall and 7-3 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Falcons improved to 12-7, 6-5.
Tyler Selk led the Pioneers with 16 points, while Jones added 11 and Merrill Brunson 10. Been's 14 paced the Falcons.
BoxscorePioneers overcome UW-Oshkosh
Posted 1/19/00
UW-Platteville overcame an early 14-point UW-Oshkosh lead to defeat the Titans 79-72 Wednesday at the UWO Kolf Sports Center.
The Titans took a 29-15 lead at 7:45 in the first half, but the Pioneers answered with an 18-8 scoring run to narrow the halftime lead to 37-33.
The game remained close throughout the second half until the final minutes, when UWP closed the contest with an 11-4 run. Bryan Stangel gave the Pioneers the lead for good on a pair of free throws with 2:17 remaining. Merrill Brunson added a jump shot for a 72-68 lead. With 24 seconds remaining, the Titans closed the gap again to two at 74-72, but Colin Gassner nailed a pair of free throws with 18 seconds left, and Mike Jones converted a basket and foul shot with 5 ticks left for a 79-72 lead.
Both Jones and Tyler Selk recorded career highs with 25 and 17 points, respectively, while Merrill Brunson added 15 points.
The Pioneers improved to 14-3 overall and 7-2 in the WIAC, while the Titans fell to 10-7, 3-6.
BoxscorePioneers win shootout
Posted 1/15/00
UW-Platteville and UW-La Crosse played a game of H-O-R-S-E Saturday night at La Crosse's Mitchell Hall, and the Pioneers got the last shot to fall.
UW-Platteville beat UWL 99-86 in a shootout that featured the teams combining for 58 percent from the floor, including a remarkable 57.5 percent from three-point range.
The Pioneers connected on 71 percent of their first-half shots, including 7 of 9 three-point baskets, to take a 54-36 lead. The Eagles then proceeded to knock down 62 percent in the second half, including 8 of 13 three-pointers, to keep the game close.
Despite all the outside fireworks, it was center Beau Buchs who took home UWP scoring honors. He made 8 of 11 shots and finished with 22 points. Merrill Brunson added 19, making all but one of his 5 three-point attempts, while Colin Gassner scored 14, and Mike Jones added 10.
Eddie Hebert, who drained 7 three-point baskets, had 33 points, while Tom Westhoff added 16 for the Eagles.
The Pioneers improved to 13-3 overall and 6-2 in the WIAC. The Eagles fell to 7-9, 2-6.
UW-Platteville concludes its three-game road-trip at UW-Oshkosh Wednesday at 7 p.m.
BoxscoreUW-Superior beats UWP
Posted 1/12/00
After losing two straight double overtime games, UW-Superior had gained plenty of experience in tight games. On Wednesday, the Yellowjackets took it a step further and used that experience to gain a victory.
The Yellowjackets beat UW-Platteville 66-63 in Superior in a nip-and-tuck affair.
Justin Johnson nailed a three-point attempt with 1:58 remaining to give the Yellowjackets a 64-63 lead. The Pioneers missed three jump shots, and Johnson and Jason Strilzuk each hit one of two free throws. Tyler Selk rebounded Strilzuk's miss on his second shot with 17 seconds remaining. The Pioneers brought the ball up the court, but Merrill Brunson's potential tying three-point shot rimmed out.
The Pioneers fell to 12-3 overall and 5-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Yellowjackets improved to 8-5 overall, 3-4 in the WIAC.
Brunson led the Pioneers with 16 points, and Mike Jones added 12. Strilzuk, with 17, Tony Sanders, with 13, and Alin Andre, with 12, paced UW-Superior.
The Pioneers play a big game at UW-La Crosse Saturday at 7 p.m. They continue their longest road swing of the season Wednesday at UW-Oshkosh before playing at Williams Fieldhouse Jan. 26 against UW-River Falls.
BoxscorePioneers bounce UW-Stout
Posted 1/10/00
UW-Platteville erased an early 12-point deficit with a 23-2 run and went on to defeat UW-Stout 69-65 Monday in Williams Fieldhouse.
The Pioneers overcame the 21-9 deficit in less than three minutes, tying the score at 21-21. The Pioneers took the lead at 25-23 on a Mike Jones layup. They increased the margin to 32-23 before settling for a 32-27 halftime lead.
UWP led by as many as 13 (50-37) in the second half, and the closest the Blue Devils were able to get was four points on a layup at the buzzer.
The Pioneers improved to 12-2 overall and 5-1 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. UW-Stout fell to 6-8, 0-6.
Merrill Brunson led the Pioneers with 16 points, hitting 3 of 4 three-point shots and all 5 free throws, while Mike Jones had 14 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Beau Buchs added 12 points, including a steal and a thunderous slam dunk with 2:20 remaining that pushed the lead to 65-56.
Aaron Vachowiak led the Blue Devils with 20 points, while Scott Klimek had 12, and Pat Von Feldt scored 10. Ben Kuepers fouled outh with 14:28 remaining in the game and settled for 8 points.
BoxscoreThe streak is finally over
Posted 1/8/00
It took 9 years and 97 games before the UW-Platteville men's basketball team finally lost a regular season home game.
A hot-shooting UW-Stevens Point team beat the Pioneers 77-63, and in the process took over first place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Pointers are 10-3 overall and 5-1 in the WIAC, a half-game ahead of the Pioneers, who slipped to 11-2, 4-1. UW-Eau Claire, a 90-85 double-overtime victor over UW-Superior Saturday afternoon, is also at 4-1 in the league.
The Pointers hit 52 percent of their shots in each half and made 7 of their first 10 three-point attempts. The Pioneers hit 39 percent for the game.
All five UWSP starters scored in double figures, led by Brant Bailey with 22. Brent Larson scored 17 points and dished out 8 assists. Both he and Jay Bennett were three of five on their three-point shooting, mostly coming from well beyond the arc. Bennett, Joe Zuiker and Gabe Frank each had 10 points. The Pointers took a 37-24 halftime lead thanks to a 30-something-foot three-point shot by Nick Devos as the shot clock expired with half a minute to play.
Seniors Merrill Brunson and Mike Jones paced the Pioneers. Brunson, the reigning NCAA III and league player of the year, scored 23 points, while Jones scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Colin Gassner added 8 points and 4 assists, while Will Ryan scored 7 and Tyler Selk 6.
The Pioneers are back in Williams Fieldhouse Monday at 7 p.m. vs. UW-Stout, the first time the Blue Devils will be back since the memorable 1999 WIAC post-season championship game. The Pioneers beat Stout 90-88 in overtime, earning the league's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament, where they successfully defended their national title.
BoxscorePioneers come back to stun Blugolds
Posted 1/5/00
UW-Platteville came back from 11 down with 8 minutes remaining to stun host UW-Eau Claire 62-60 Wednesday in Zorn Arena.
The second-ranked Pioneers (according to d3hoops.com) improved to 11-1 overall and 4-0 in the WIAC. The Blugolds, ranked third in the nation, fell to 10-1, 3-1.
The Pioneers trailed 52-41 when they started their comeback behind their three seniors. Colin Gassner drilled a jumper with 7:36 remaining, and Merrill Brunson followed with a three-point basket 28 seconds later. Brunson knocked down another shot on the next UWP possession, and quickly the large lead was cut to 55-51.
The Blugolds' Matt Fermanich hit a three-pointer, pushing the lead back to 7 points, but the Pioneers ripped off a 12-0 run. Three-pointers by Mike Jones and Brunson cut the lead to 55-54, and Jones's two free throws at the 4:26 mark gave the Pioneers their first lead of the game. Jones and freshman Tyler Selk followed with a pair of jumpers, extending the score to 60-55 with 2:06 remaining and stunning the crowd of 2,400.
Gassner hit two free throws with 11 seconds remaining to seal the deal, and the 'Golds scored at the buzzer for the final 62-60 score.
The seniors combined for 47 of the Pioneers' 62 points. Brunson scored 19 points, while Jones had 17 points and 4 assists, while Gassner scored 11. Beau Buchs, playing his first game since injuring his hand at a late December practice, scored 8 points, while Will Carter had 6 assists.
Jones also did yeoman's work on all-West Region center Jon Wallenfelsz, holding him to 7 points, more than 11 points below his average. Only half the opposing centers this year have scored in double figures against Jones and the Pioneers this year. Sherm Castensen had 16 points and Dave Mellenthin 12 for Eau Claire, who led 35-24 at the half.
The task does not get any easier Saturday, when center Brant Bailey, and his 23.7 ppg average, leads UW-Stevens Point into Williams Fieldhouse for a 7 p.m. showdown. The Pointers won at UW-Oshkosh Wednesday, 85-78, to improve to 9-3 overall and 4-1 in league play.
BoxscorePioneers rebound to crush Mount Mercy
Posted 12/31/99
UW-Platteville rebounded from its first loss of the year with a resounding 92-68 win over Mount Mercy in the third-place game at the Clarke College Holiday Classic New Year's Eve.
The 10-1 Pioneers gave their own fireworks display in the first half, shooting 60.7 percent while racing to a 55-38 lead. The Mustangs (11-5) opened with a zone defense, which the Pioneers dismantled with quick passing and hitting open jump shots. When Mount Mercy tried the zone again later in the first half, Bryan Stangel single-handily beat it with four consecutive three-point baskets. The second-half margin never dipped under 15 points, with the Pioneers leading by as much as 30. All 15 Pioneers who dressed for the game saw action.
Stangel, a freshman guard, connected on a career-high 19 points. He hit all five of his three-point attempts. Tyler Selk had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Ben Schambow scored 14, Mike Jones 11 and Merrill Brunson had 10 points and 6 assists. Brunson played in his 100th game in a Pioneer uniform, 94 of which have been victories. Will Ryan added a game-high 4 steals to go with his 9 points.
The Pioneers return to league play Wednesday with a showdown at undefeated UW-Eau Claire. The Blugolds are 10-0 on the season. Tipoff time at Zorn Arena is 7 p.m.
BoxscoreMidAmerica Nazarene ends UWP streak
Posted 12/30/99
In a game played like one would expect from two top 5 teams, MidAmerica Nazarene beat UW-Platteville 69-63 before an overflow crowd of more than 1,700 at the Clarke College Holiday Classic Thursday night in Dubuque, Iowa.
MidAmerica Nazarene, ranked fourth in the current NAIA Division II poll, improved to 12-2 overall and will face Viterbo College (12-6) in Friday's championship contest.
UW-Platteville, ranked first in the NCAA III by d3hoops.com, had its 21-game winning streak snapped. The 9-1 Pioneers will face Mount Mercy (11-4) in Friday's third-place game at 11 a.m.
Both teams shared the name Pioneers and a lot more, as the back-and-forth contest was marked by strong defensive play between the two evenly-matched teams.
The game, which featured four ties and nine lead changes, was tied 35-35 at the half. The Pioneers from Kansas went ahead 55-48 midway through the second half before the Wisconsinites ripped off a 11-2 run, taking a 59-57 lead. MidAmerica Nazarene scored two straight three-point plays, one on a layup and free throw by Sean Mulloy and the other on a long-range shot by Dan Fleming for a 63-59 lead. UWP sliced the lead to 63-61 and again at 65-63, but MidAmerica Nazarene hit all eight of its free throws in the final 26 seconds to hang on for the win.
Mike Jones led Platteville with 22 points, while Merrill Brunson had 18, and Colin Gassner 11. Tyler Selk collected a game-high 10 rebounds. The Pioneers are playing this tournament without injured 6-6 center Beau Buchs, who is averaging 9.1 ppg while shooting 70 percent from the field.
Mulloy led MidAmerica Nazarene with 17 points, and Harris had 12. NAIA All-American player Dan Peterson was held to 6 points on 2 of 9 shooting.
BoxscorePioneers beat Rockford 79-55 in round one
Posted 12/28/99
UW-Platteville opened defense of its Clarke College Holiday Classic title with a 79-55 win over Rockford College Tuesday, setting up a showdown with another highly ranked team of Pioneers Thursday.
The UW-Platteville Pioneers, ranked number one in NCAA Division III by d3Hoops.com, face the Pioneers from MidAmerica Nazarene, ranked fourth in this week's NAIA Division II poll, Thursday at 7 p.m. in the semifinals. MidAmerica Nazarene destroyed Iowa Wesleyan 127-89 in today's other quarterfinal.
Viterbo College will play Mount Mercy in the other semifinal, Wednesday at 7 p.m. The championship contest is set for New Year's Eve at 3 p.m.
The Pioneers raised their record to 7-0 in the three-year tournament. Mike Jones was a convenient 7-11 from the field and led all scorers with 18 points. Merrill Brunson added 17 points, including a three-point shot in the first half that enabled him to become the all-time Pioneer leader in that catogory with 165. Sophomore reserve center Ben Schambow scored in double figures for the first time in his collegiate career with 11. Eight of his points came during a 12-2 run that increased the Pioneer lead from 60-42 to 72-44 with 4:44 remaining. Freshman Tyler Selk cleaned up the glass with 12 rebounds for the Pioneers (9-0).
Billy Lewis led Rockford (4-9) with 12 points. The Regents fell behind 6-0 and never tied the score nor took the lead.
BoxscorePioneer win an inside job
Posted 12/11/99
Thursday, Mike Jones shattered a backboard during practice. Two nights later, he shattered UW-Whitewater's upset hopes.
Jones and fellow front-line players Tyler Selk and Beau Buchs combined for 35 points in the Pioneers' 70-55 win in Williams Fieldhouse.
The Pioneers, who came into the game shooting 51.1 percent as a team, made only 10 of 29 shots in the first half and held a slim 28-26 lead. In the final 20 minutes, the inside trio combined for 20 points, as the Pioneers made 15 of 28 from the field.
The win was the Pioneers' 96th straight regular season game and raised their record to 8-0 overall and 3-0 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Warhawks fell to 5-2, 2-2.
The young Warhawks, who started a junior, a sophomore and three freshmen, tied the game at 28-28, before the Pioneers went on a 12-2 run. Merrill Brunson, who was scoreless in the first half, had 5 points during that run. The Warhawks were never able to cut the lead under 8 points.
Jones finished with 17 points, while Brunson had 14, Selk 10 and Colin Gassner 10. Selk added a game-high 12 rebounds. Buchs scored 8 points, with 6 coming via 3 dunks that brought the crowd of 1,919 to its collective feet.
Brunson scored in double figures for the 42nd straight game. His three-pointer at the end of the 12-2 run tied him with Tim O'Connell for the school career record of 164.
BoxscoreBrunson's 31 points lead Pioneers
Posted 12/8/99
Reigning NCAA Division III Player of the Year Merrill Brunson exploded for a season-high 31 points to lead UW-Platteville to a 71-47 victory at UW-River Falls Wednesday.
Brunson scored 19 of the Pioneers' 29 first-half points as UWP led 29-21. The Pioneers then hit 65 percent of their shots in the second period, outscoring the Falcons 42-26.
Brunson, who moved past Shawn Frison into 12th place on the all-time UWP scoring list with 1,246 points, hit 10 of 14 shots from the field, including 6 of 9 three-point attempts. No other Pioneer was in double figures, although both Tyler Selk and Beau Buchs had 8 points apiece. Mike Jones grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
The top-ranked Pioneers improved their overall record to 7-0 and their WIAC mark to 2-0. UW-River Falls, which was led by Clemson transfer Sulieman Holman with 21 points, fell to 4-2, 1-2.
The Team of the '90s played its 300th game since the beginning of the 1989-90 campaign. This was the 273rd Pioneer win during that span.
BoxscorePioneers down Eagles, 83-72
Posted 12/4/99
UW-Platteville kept a 15-year streak alive with an 83-72 win over Marycrest International Saturday night.
The Pioneers have not lost a non-conference regular season game at Williams Fieldhouse since Nov. 26, 1984. They also ran their overall regular season home winning streak to 95 games, dating back to 1991.
Merrill Brunson led the Pioneers with 26 points, 12 coming on three-point shots, while Mike Jones had 17 points and 12 rebounds. Beau Buchs came off the bench to score 14 points. Buchs hit 6 of 7 from the field, including a pair of rim-rattling dunks.
Kelan Williams had 25 to lead Marycrest International, which hung tough by making some long-range shots.
BoxscorePioneers take WIAC opener, 64-56
Posted 12/1/99
UW-Platteville began defense of its WIAC title with a 64-56 victory over UW-Oshkosh Wednesday at Williams Fieldhouse.
The five-time defending champions recorded their 94th consecutive regular season victory at home, and that streak includes 69 straight WIAC wins.
The Pioneers led 29-20 at the half and extended the margin to 15 at 50-35 with 8:43 remaining. Still, the Titans hung tough and whittled the lead four to 54-50 and again at 56-52 (with 1:42). Freshman Bryan Stangel made his only basket, a baseline jumper with 1:21 remaining, to give UWP a 58-52 lead. From then on, it became a free-throw contest, and the Pioneers made 7 of 10 in the final 1:21 to hold off the Titans.
Mike Jones led the Pioneers (5-0, 1-0) with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Merrill Brunson scored 10 of his 15 points in the first half. Tyler Selk added 9 points and 9 rebounds.
Jones and Brunson, with the primary duties falling to Jones, combined to hold all-American Brad Clark to 11 points, 15 below his scoring average. Aric Vaubel led the Titans (3-1, 0-1) with 11 points.
BoxscoreHot-shooting UWP takes title
Posted 11/27/99
UW-Platteville shot 60.3 percent from the floor and beat Rockford College 89-68 Saturday in the championship game of the Old Chicago Rockford College Basketball Tournament.
Mike Jones was named the tournament MVP after scoring 18 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. He hit 8 of 10 shots Saturday. Merrill Brunson also made the all-tournament team after totalling 33 points in the two games. He had 16 Saturday to become one of six Pioneers in double figures in scoring. Beau Buchs, who missed just one of his 7 shot attempts, had 15 points, while Colin Gassner had 12, Will Ryan 11 and Tyler Selk 11.
The 4-0 Pioneers hit 62 percent of their two-point attempts and 54 percent from behind the three-point line, raising their team overall shooting percentage to 52 percent. The top 7 players are now all shooting at 50 percent or better for the season.
The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference kicks off in a big way Wednesday when the Pioneers play host to UW-Oshkosh at 7 p.m. in Williams Fieldhouse.
BoxscorePioneers blow out Barat
Posted 11/26/99
UW-Platteville jumped out to a 58-15 halftime lead and whipped Barat College 82-42 in the first round of the Rockford College Invitational Friday night.
The Pioneers will face the host Regents in the championship game Saturday at 4 p.m. Rockford beat Judson 81-78 in the first semifinal.
Barat is from Lake Forest, Ill., and the Bulldogs upgraded their program this year from NAIA Division II to NAIA Division I. For the first time, the Bulldogs were able to offer 9 basketball scholarships, but that didn't seem to matter to the Pioneers as they led from start to finish.
Merrill Brunson scored 17 points, Mike Jones had 13 and Tyler Selk for UWP, who shot 60.5 percent in the first half. All 15 Pioneers suited up played, with 11 of them scoring.
UW-Platteville improved to 3-0 on the year.
BoxscorePioneers earn tough road win
Posted 11/22/99
The UW-Platteville men's basketball team came from behind to earn a hard-fought 81-62 win at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Monday night.
The Pioneers overcame a 38-32 halftime deficit by shooting a blistering 62.5 percent from the field (20 of 32) in the final 20 minutes. UWP converted 8 of 10 three-point baskets in the second half, including back-to-back treys by Colin Gassner and Tyler Selk to push a four-point lead to 10.
Merrill Brunson led the Pioneers with 24 points, while Mike Jones had 14 points and 6 assists. Will Ryan added 13 points, and Selk scored 12.
UW-Platteville improved to 2-0 on the year and kept alive a somewhat startling streak of 40 straight wins over schools from the Hawkeye state.
The Pioneers next venture to the land of Lincoln to play two games in the Rockford College tournament. UWP faces Barat, from Lake Forest, Ill., Friday at 8 p.m. in the second semifinal. The host Regents play Judson College in the first matchup. Saturday's consolation game is at 4 p.m., followed by the title contest at 6 p.m.
BoxscorePioneers win in season, Landrum's debut
Posted 11/19/99
UW-Platteville beat visiting Augustana 80-54 in the season and head coach Todd Landrum's debut.
The two-time defending champions led from start to finish in recording their 93rd straight regular season win at Williams Fieldhouse.
The Pioneers forced the Vikings into misses on 19 of their first 24 shots while building a quick lead. The Pioneers led 13-3, and the lead never fell below double digits.
Merrill Brunson led all scorers with 18 points, while freshman Tyler Selk scored 16 with eight rebounds and no turnovers. Mike Jones and Beau Buchs each recorded double-doubles, with Jones getting 12 points and 14 rebounds and Buchs recording 11 points, 10 rebounds. The Pioneers held a 51-28 advantage on the glass.
UW-Platteville is back in action Monday at Coe College, beginning at 8 p.m.
BoxscoreHot start lifts Pioneers over Cimeba All-Stars
Posted 11/11/99
UW-Platteville made 16 of its first 21 shots and went on to beat the Cimeba All-Stars from Mexico 85-81 Thursday night in an exhibition game.
Cimeba fell to 1-4 on its United States tour and has games at Big 10 powers Purdue, Illinois and Michigan State Sunday through Tuesday.
Reigning NCAA Division III player of the year Merrill Brunson hit 10 of 13 shots and finished with a game-high 29 points. Mike Jones added 19 points, and Will Ryan had 13. Jones and Colin Gassner tied for rebounding honors with 6 each. Six-foot-9 center Ken Leeks dunked home 19 points for Cimeba.
The two-time defending NCAA III champions begin the season for real Friday, Nov. 19, vs. Augustana at 7 p.m. in Williams Fieldhouse.
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