NAPERVILLE, Ill. – In the first road game of the season, the No. 18 University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team (3-1) escaped with a 66-60 overtime win over North Central (Ill.) (0-2) on Wednesday night inside Gregory Arena in Naperville, Illinois.

The contest was a defensive battle throughout, as both teams finished under 40 percent shooting on the night. The Pioneers shot 39.4 percent (26-of-66) but struggled from deep at 25.0 percent (7-of-28) and from the free throw line at 46.7 percent (7-of-15). North Central finished at 37.7 percent (23-of-61) after going just 1-of-8 in the extra period and were stymied from the three-point line at 17.6 percent (3-of-17).

Four Pioneers reached double figures, led by 13 points from junior Bristol Lewis. Senior Joey Fuhremann went a perfect 5-of-5 from the field to reach 12 points and finished just shy of a double-double with nine rebounds. Seniors Aiden Wieczorek and Miles Hettinger also reached double digits with 10 points apiece.

The largest difference in the first half was six points, which was held by the Pioneers at the 2:56 mark following an 11-4 run. Freshman Cooper Hoffman, Lewis, and junior Lucas Rameker each connected on three-point makes on during the run, which spanned four minutes. The Cardinals chipped away at the lead and got back within one at 31-30 entering halftime.

UW-Platteville maintained the slight edge to begin the second half, and the lead grew to 45-38 with 10:57 left following a layup by Fuhremann and a two-handed flush by Hettinger. With 6:34 remaining, the Pioneers pushed the advantage to a game-high eight points on a jumper by Wieczorek, but the Cardinals worked their way back and trailed by just two in the final minute. A missed free throw gave North Central a chance to tie or win at the buzzer, and a long jumper from the corner was ruled a two to send the game to overtime even at 56.

The Cardinals scored the first two overtime points at the free throw line, but the Pioneers settled in and scored the next eight points to lead 64-58 with 1:23 left. All eight points came in the paint, as Hettinger, Lewis, and Fuhremann each had strong finishes at the rim to extend the lead. North Central cut the deficit to four but failed to score again as Wieczorek and Lewis tallied the final points of the game at the free throw line in the six-point win.

The Pioneers outrebounded the Cardinals 48-38, including 17-9 on the offensive glass. Besides the nine rebounds from Fuhremann, senior Max Love grabbed eight (five offensive) and Rameker collected seven. Rameker was also the team leader in assists with five.

Alejandro Diaz paced North Central with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Joining him in double figures was James Bullock, who scored 13 points and secured seven rebounds.

UW-Platteville will travel to St. Peter, Minnesota on Saturday to face Gustavus Adolphus. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.
 
*As with every UW-Platteville win this year, the Platteville A&W will be offering a free ice cream cone (with purchase) the day after the win and the Platteville Taco John's will be offering a free churro (with purchase) the day after each Pioneer win.