PLATTEVILLE, Wis. - The third-ranked Platteville Pioneers proved to be a bit too much for the UW-Eau Claire men's basketball team, as the Blugolds lost their first WIAC matchup of the season, 83-54 at Bo Ryan Court this evening.

In a back-and-forth scoring affair in the first half, Eau Claire was able to keep things close. Down by 10 points with 13:25 to go in the half, the Blugolds tied the game five minutes later on a three point basket by Nick Bartlett (Fr.-Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View). However, the Pioneers would go on a second major scoring rally, putting the Blugolds down by nine going into halftime.

In the second half, Eau Claire cut Platteville's lead to four on a Colin Boone {((Jr.-Eau Claire, Wis./Memorial) layup at the 17:05 mark. That would be as close as the Blugolds would get for the remainder of the game, as the Pioneers took control of the contest down the stretch to take the 29-point victory.

Eau Claire shot 40 percent from the field in the first half and 52.6 percent in the second half, but only managed to get off 19 shot attempts in the second half. Platteville had the edge from the free throw line, shooting 21 free throws to the Blugolds' 11. Eau Claire out-rebounded Platteville 25 to 24, but were hampered by turnovers, committing 21 to the Pioneers' 11.

Boone was the only Blugold to reach double-digits with 14 points and three assists. Ryan Shea (So.-Duluth, Minn./East) pitched in with eight points and four boards, while Dan Beyer (Sr.-Waukesha, Wis./Catholic Memorial) was held to seven points, and grabbed a team-high five rebounds.

With the loss, Eau Claire drops to 4-3 on the season and 1-1 in WIAC play, while Platteville remains perfect with an 8-0 record and a 2-0 mark in the conference.

The Blugolds return home to Zorn Arena on Saturday afternoon for a conference matchup against UW-La Crosse. The game is a double-header with the women's team and will begin at 3 p.m.

Eau Claire-Platteville Box Score

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