Pioneers rebound to rout Loras
November 25-26, 2005
UW-Platteville bounced back in a big-time way from Friday's 86-84 defeat to the University of Dubuque by blasting Loras College 66-42 Saturday to conclude the Mississippi River Challenge.
The Pioneers, behind Mike Jamerson, bolted out to a 38-16 lead and rolled over the Duhawks. Jamerson scored 19 first-half points, including making all five of his three-point attempts, and finished the game with 24 points. He hit back-to-back long-range bombs within a 31-second span, enabling the Pioneers to go ahead 27-9 13 minutes into the contest. At one point, Jamerson scored 14 straight Pioneer points.
Mark Gossens added 13 points and eight rebounds, while Jeff Skemp had six points and 10 rebounds. The Pioneers shot 54 percent and held the Duhawks--who had defeated UW-Whitewater 73-71 the previous weekend--to 31 percent from the field. Kyle White led Loras (2-2) with 14 points.
Twentieth-ranked UWP (3-2) faces Elmhurst Wednesday at 8 p.m., or 30 minutes after the women's home opener with Augustana. One ticket is good for both games in Williams Fieldhouse.
Pioneers fall short in Dubuque
UW-Platteville's rally fell two points short, as host University of Dubuque converted its free throws and won 86-84 Friday night.
The Spartans made 35 of 42 from the line, including their last 14 chances, to pull off the upset of the 20th-ranked Pioneers. UWP trailed by as many as 12 points with 5:15 to play before their aggressive defense keyed the comeback. The Pioneers closed within 80-76 on Jeff Skemp's layin with 41 seconds left. LeVon Crawford stole the inbounds pass, but the Pioneers could not convert. Nick Thomas made both free throws for an 82-76 Spartan lead.
Bo Richter drained a long three-point shot, bringing the Pioneers within 82-79 with 17 ticks left, but Norris Langord made two free throws for a five-point UD lead. Mark Gossens' layup with two seconds left was countered by two more free throws by Tyler Daugherty with 1.6 seconds remaining. Gossens hit a three-point shot at the buzzer to account for the 86-84 final score.
Dubuque improved to 3-0, while the Pioneers fell to 2-2.
Crawford and Gossens each scored career-high 24 points for the Pioneers, hitting a combined 19 of 27 from the field.
Thomas, who was 12-12 from the line, scored 27 points, while Daugherty scored 25, making 15-16 from the line.
The Pioneers are back in action at the Mississippi River Challenge Saturday, facing Loras at 3 p.m.
Related Links