#7 Pioneers beat #21 Wooster

Using a combination of outside marksmanship and inside power, seventh-ranked UW-Platteville beat #21 Wooster 76-67 Saturday night in the first round of the Hanover (Ind.) tournament.

Guards Mike Shaw and Curt Hanson led the Pioneers with 24 and 19 points, respectively, while all-American center Jeff Skemp made 7-11 shots and finished with 18 points to keep the Pioneers undefeated at 5-0.

Forward Justin Hallowell led the Scots (1-3) with 17 points, while Nathan Balch came off the bench to score 15.

The Pioneers led by as many as 14 in the first half at 36-22 but settled for a 38-33 halftime lead. The Scots, who returned three starters from last year's 23-5 club, took their first lead at 39-38 on Hallowell's three-point shot.

After the game was tied at 46, Shaw took over, scoring a jumper at 12:37, a three-point basket 22 seconds later and a a layup at 11:42, giving the Pioneers a 53-46 lead. Two Eric Wall free throws capped the 8-0 Pioneer run for a 55-46 lead.

Wooster came within 55-51, but Hanson scored on a layup, and Skemp scored twice inside for a 10-point margin at 61-51. Kyle Tetschlag added an inside basket, and Skemp made two free throws, ballooning the margin to 65-51. After Wooster made the count 71-65 on an Ian Franks layup with 49 ticks left, Hanson and Shaw each made two free throws and Wall one of two to secure the win.

The Pioneers will face either Indiana University-Southeast in Sunday's championship at 3 p.m. EST. IU-Southeast beat Hanover 81-76 in Saturday's second game.

Shaw made 7 of 13 shots, including 4-7 three-pointers, while Hanson knocked down 6-9 overall and 3-5 from beyond the arc. The Pioneers made 53.2 percent from the field, including 9-19 (47.4 percent) of their three-point attempts. Hanson also distributed a career-best seven assists.

The Scots made 27-58 from the floor (46.6 percent) and 9-27 of three-point attempts. The Scots went to the line just seven times, making four, while the Pioneers hit 17-24.

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