The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball
team hit 54.8% of its shots from the field and senior B.J. Litz
scored a career-high 17 points and dished out a career-high five
assists to lead the Pioneers to a 63-53 win over host UW-Stout on
Saturday evening.
The hot shooting sparked UW-Platteville, who improves to 5-4 on
the season and 1-2 in the WIAC. UW-Stout was held to 38% shooting
in the loss, which falls to 3-6 overall and 0-3 in the WIAC.
After scoring nine of the first 11 points in the contest, the
host Blue Devils scored 11 of the next 14 to take its first lead,
13-12, with 9:55 to play. Then, in the final 10 minutes, Litz
provided a spark off the bench with 10 points and an assist on a
Matt Weik jumper on the final play of the half that put the
Pioneers in front, 32-26 at halftime.
UW-Stout managed to tie the game later in the second half at 40;
however, the answer for the Pioneers came from the bench, again. To
bring the Blue Devils back into the game, Tim Butina and Carter
Ciolkosz scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The game would be tied on three more occasions until Weik hit
his second 3-pointer of the game with 3:27 that put the Pioneers
ahead for the rest of the contest. The Freeport, Illinois native
along with Litz combined for 26 points including four 3
pointers.
Next, UW-Platteville will host North Central at Bo Ryan Court on
Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m.