UW-Platteville lost 83-73 at UW-Whitewater in the Pioneers' final regular season road game Wednesday night.
The Pioneers slipped to 12-10 overall and 6-7 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, tied for fifth place with UW-Eau Claire and UW-Superior with three games to play. The top six teams make the WIAC post-season tournament, with seeds one and two earning byes and the third- and fourth-place teams playing host to first-round games.
Dustin Mitchell and Mike Bendall each scored 20 for the Warhawks, who improved to 18-4 overall and 10-3 in the WIAC. The Warhawks, tied for first in the league, are ranked ninth nationally.
Curt Hanson, the WIAC's third-leading scorer, dropped in 25 points and had four assists, while Eric Wall had his third double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Mike Shaw added 16 points for the Pioneers, who led 2-0 but then saw the Warhawks score the next 12. The Pioneers came within four twice late in the first half before going into the locker room down 42-36.
UWP came within four again twice in the second half, the last time at 46-42. UWW, however, rolled off a 9-2 run for a 55-44 advantage. A Shane Kieler layup brought the Pioneers within 63-58, but a Mitchell three-point basket started an 8-0 run.
The Pioneers begin their three-game homestand against red-hot UW-Stout Saturday at 6 p.m. The Blue Devils have won four in a row and now hold down third place.
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