PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The holiday-rested Gustavus men's basketball team had no easy task ahead of it on Sunday evening, facing UW-Platteville, ranked No. 6 in the nation according to the latest D3hoops.com national poll. And, after just over a week off, the Gusties (3-2 overall) struggled to get past Platteville (6-1 overall) in the second half, falling 65-52 at Bo Ryan Court.
A layup from fifth-year post
Wyatt Olson (Saint Peter, Minn.) cut the Pioneers' lead to just three points at the break – 26-23 – but 53.8 percent shooting from the home team in the second half proved detrimental to the Gusties, who made 10 of their 24 second half shot attempts.
Gustavus finished at 39.1 percent (18-for-46) from the field, including 30.4 percent (7-for-23) from long range. Platteville struggled from three, making just six of 26 attempts, but capitalized on free throw shooting (13-for-13) and collected 30 points in the paint and 19 off turnovers to finish shooting 45.1% percent (23-for-51).
After both teams came up empty on their first possessions of the game, Platteville took the first lead on a layup two minutes into play. The Gusties responded defensively, forcing a turnover and two fouls following the game's first points, but couldn't catch a break at the rim, going scoreless until an
Evan Wieker (5th, St. Michael, Minn.) layup put the team on the board. The Pioneers took it in stride, though, responding with a 10-2 run for their first double digit lead of the game, 14-4.
The Gusties cut the lead back to single digits thanks to a
Myles Barnette (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) jumper, and an
Adam Biewen (5th, Golden Valley, Minn.) three-pointer shifted the momentum ever so slightly, leading to three subsequent UWP fouls, allowing the Gusties to bring the home team's advantage to just five points, 20-15. Platteville furthered the gap on back-to-back jumpers, but shooting went cold for the Pioneers as the first half came to a close, missing all of their last five shots from the floor to end the frame. The Gusties forced a number of players into foul trouble early on, but struggled at the line, missing four opportunities to capitalize on free throws. Olson collected defensive rebound and returned with a layup at the other end of the court to bring the visitors within three of the lead, 26-23, at the end of the half.
The break reinvigorated the No. 6 Pioneers, who opened the half with 5-of-7 shooting, including three made three-pointers, in the first four minutes after halftime.
Brady Kienitz (Sr., Raymond, Minn.) added one from beyond the arc to move the Gusties back within six, 32-26, but struggles from the field for the next four minutes allowed UW-Platteville to retake a double digit lead at 40-26.
Carson Koch (Jr., Woodbury, Minn.) put together a string of impressive second half plays, collecting a steal and sinking one from three following a turnover, while Kienitz hit three more from deep, but it wasn't enough to catch the high-octane Pioneer offense, led by an 18-point performance from Logan Pearson in the second half. Gustavus cut the lead to 13 in the final minute of play, closing things out with a last second
Spencer Swanson (Sr., Waconia, Minn.) layup, but Platteville rolled to its sixth victory and fifth in a row, 65-52.
Pearson, the 2024 NABC Player of the Year, led all players with a game-high 31 points on 10-for-15 shooting, including a perfect 9-for-9 mark from the free throw line.
Kienitz finished as the Gusties' leading scorer, totaling 12 in 25 minutes of play, all of which came from second half three-pointers, as the senior shot 4-for-9 from behind the arc. Barnette was next, collecting double digit points for the third consecutive game off the bench. The Maple Grove native went 3-for-4 from the field and 4-for-5 from the charity stripe.
Platteville won the battle of the boards, 31-26. Olson was the Gusties' leading rebounder, hauling in five off the glass, all on the defensive end, while Pearson and Brady Olson for the Pioneers led the game with six apiece. Swanson and Olson shared the team lead in assists with three each, with Swanson also collecting a pair of steals.
The Gusties open conference play on Wednesday, hosting Augsburg (2-3 overall) for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off at Gus Young Court. They cap off the week with another conference contest, hosting Concordia (3-3 overall) on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Saint Peter.
