The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneers hosted the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers on Feb. 15. This game was the home finale for the Pioneers who fell to the Pointers 69-55.

The Pioneers started out slow in the first quarter. The Pioneers scored three points in the first four minutes which led them to a six-point deficit early. The Pioneers didn’t have much success until about three minutes left in the quarter when sophomore biology major, Blaire Lutes, would catch fire making a jump shot which was followed by a 3-pointer on the next possession pulling the Pioneers to only a 3-point deficit. After a costly turnover by the Pointers, freshman agriculture business major, Abby Luedtke made a layup pulling the Pioneers within one point of tying the game. The first quarter came to a close with the Pioneers down one 13-12.

Starting the second quarter the Pioneers once again struggled to score early. The Pointers went on a 6-0 run to put the Pioneers down 19-12, with almost six minutes remaining in the quarter. Freshman agriculture business major, Allison Prestegaard scored a short 2-point basket to help jump start a Pioneers nine-point run which gave them a two-point lead with less than two minutes remaining. The Pioneers wouldn’t last long as the Pointers would tie the game up at 21-21. Freshman business administration major, Lexis Macomber would make a short jumper to once again give the Pioneers a lead. At the end of the half, the Pioneers were up 23-21.

The third quarter the Pioneers were able to score early, unfortunately, so could the Pointers. The Pointers got hot early scoring on their first two possessions taking a 26-23 lead over the Pioneers. Prestegaard would make a layup after a steal by freshman psychology major, Kassie Buchholz to cut the lead to one. The Pioneers stayed close until the Pointers scored three points with less than three minutes remaining to give them an eight-point lead. By the end of the third quarter, the Pioneers were down 43-36.

The Pioneers looked to make a comeback in the fourth quarter as Luedtke scored a 2-pointer at the start of the quarter, but the Pointers answered with a 3-pointer. The Pointers went on a seven point run giving them an 18-point lead with two minutes left in the game. The deficit would be too much for the Pioneers to overcome as they fell to the Pointers 69-55.

The Pioneers would fall to the Falcons on Feb. 18 by a score of 81-60. The Pioneers finished their season 6-19 with a conference record of 2-12. They didn’t have the season they and their fans were hoping for, but the Pioneers’ average score of 66.8 points per game and 70 percent free-throw shooting were some of the highlights to the Pioneers season.