PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The Gustavus men’s basketball team fell to 0-2 on the season after dropping a non-conference matchup against the fourth nationally ranked UW-Platteville Pioneers with a final score of 77-62.
The Pioneers had the advantage early into the contest opening with a 7-2 run before the Gusties fired back with one of their own to establish an 18-16 lead with 8:07 left in the first half with an Evan Wierker (So., St. Michael) offensive rebound and layup finish. Just when Gustavus thought they were in the clear, Platteville retaliated with a 10-3 run for a 34-27 lead at halftime.
Both teams struggled to shoot the ball with the Gusties shooting 11-29 from the field while the Pioneers went 13-34.
Each squad went point for point in the opening minutes of the second half with Gustavus narrowing the deficit to five points. The Pioneers pushed ahead for the remainder of the match in the 77-62 final.
The Gusties found high notes in bench scoring with a 29-8 advantage over UW-Platteville. Pete Lundquist (Sr., Rochester) and Jordan Schommer (Jr., Merrifield) led the Gusties in scoring with 10 points a piece.
Gustavus will look to right the ship as they continue their season on the road on Wednesday with first tip scheduled for 8:00 PM at UW-River Falls.