PLATTEVILLE - The UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team cut a 17-point deficit down to three but could not overcome an 11-of-11 performance from UW-Platteville at the free throw line over the final 3:39 of regulation as the Pioneers defeated the Blugolds 66-60 here tonight at Williams Fieldhouse.

The loss drops the Blugolds to 8-7 overall and 1-6 in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) action. The victory gives the Pioneers an 8-7 record overall and a 3-4 WIAC record.

The game went both ways for the first 14 minutes of the first half. There were five ties in that span and neither team had a lead of bigger than four. However, Platteville would go on a 14-0 run with just under three minutes to play in the first half to go up 29-18.

That lead would grow to 15 at the end of the first half. The Blugolds' Jared Bardon (So.-DeForest, WI) would tip-in a shot at the end of the half to make the Pioneer score 35-22 in favor of the Pioneers at the half.

The Pioneers shot 50% in the first half, while the Blugolds shot just 41%. The Blugolds committed 10 first half turnovers that led to 16 Pioneer points.

The Pioneers would have their largest lead of the game of 17 just two minutes into the second half. However, over the next 14 minutes the Blugolds would outscore the Pioneers 25-11 and cut the lead to three after a three-pointer by Zack Ryan (So.-Lake Elmo, MN/Tartan). The Pioneers would answer right back with four-straight free throws by Sean Krause and a lay-up by LeVon Crawford to extend the lead back to nine.

Zack Ryan would hit another three at the end of the game, but it wasn't enough as the Pioneers went onto 66-60.

The Blugolds shot 55% in the second half and 49% for the game, but the Pioneers shot 16 more free throws than the Blugolds. The Pioneers went 20-for-25 in the game from the line, while the Blugolds were just 6-for-9.

Zack Ryan led the Blugolds in scoring tying a career-high with 19 points. Jared Bardon was right behind him with 18 points. Matt Riley (Jr.-Cadott, WI) added 13 points for the Blugolds. The Pioneers' LeVon Crawford led all-scorers with 23 points.

The Blugolds will host UW-Superior Wednesday night in Zorn Arena. The action begins at 7 p.m.

Eau Claire-Platteville Box Score

- JR -