Double-doubles from junior center Chas Cross and sophomore guard Jim Stocki paced the Pioneers (15-6, 8-4 WIAC) on both ends of Bo Ryan Court Jan. 30, as the squad handed No. 5 University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (18-3, 11-1 WIAC)  their first WIAC loss 54-46.

This game also served as a chance for revenge for the Pioneers, who lost a highly-contested Jan. 16 matchup in Stevens Point 65-60.

“The guys reaped the rewards of the hard work they’ve put in the last couple of days and the building process we’ve gone through since we lost up there,” Pioneer head coach Jeff Gard said.

University of Wisconsin-Platteville opened the game on an 8-0 run, but after the initial outburst, the first half was a defensive struggle with multiple stretches of three and four minutes in which neither team was able to score.  At the break, the Pioneers held a 17-13 lead.

Stocki prevailed as the most effective offensive option for the Pioneers in the first half, scoring seven points.

“They focused on taking Chas (Cross) away from us, so that opened up driving lanes for everyone else,” Stocki said.  “I was able to get into the lane and make a couple shots.”

While the Pointers were able to hold Cross to just two points in the first half, he scored 14 of his game-high 16 in the second.

“We started spacing the floor better, and that allowed me to face up and get to the basket more,” Cross said.

UW-Platteville took control of the game in the second half by cashing in from the free-throw line.  The squad went 25-30 from the charity stripe in the second half, including sinking 10 of their final 12 attempts.

The Pointers tried to combat the Pioneers’ size in the post by using smaller, quicker lineups.

While this tactic resulted in some points from the outside for the visitors, it weakened the interior defense, allowing Cross and sophomore forward Jake Manning to create easy shot opportunities.

“With Jake being as athletic as he is, he can guard small, so having a smaller defender opens him up offensively,” Stocki said.

While the Pioneers were blanked from the three-point line (0-10), they secured a major rebounding advantage over the Pointers, out-rebounding their opponent 45-24.

“(Our rebounding) limited a phenomenal team to a one-and-done,” Gard said.  “When you can do that, you’re going to be successful.”

Cross pulled down 11 rebounds in the contest to go along with his 16 points and four blocks.  Stocki added 11 points and 11 rebounds, giving him his first double-double this season, and Manning scored 10 points in the win, eight of which came in the second half.

The Pointers were led by forward Trevor Hass, who scored 12 points on the strength of four three-pointers.