News Release

ASHLAND, Va — UW-Platteville picked up the pieces and a victory against Richard Stockton (N.J.) Friday.

Playing their first game without injured starting center Jeff Skemp, beat the Ospreys 64-51 in the first round of the Randolph-Macon tournament in Ashland, Va. The Pioneers will face either the host school or Alfred (N.Y.) in Saturday's championship game at 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. Platteville time).

The Pioneers picked up their fallen teammate by hitting nearly 70 percent from the floor (16-23) in the first half while building a 39-34 advantage. UWP turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, holding Richard Stockton to 32 percent and leading by as many as 18.

Charlie Lohoff, who made 5-6 three-point attempts, scored 25 points, while Kyle Tetschlag, in his first start, had 12 points on 6-6 shooting, and Mike Shaw, who made three three-point baskets, finished with 11. Lohoff and Shaw recorded career highs, while Tetschlag tied his.

UWP improved to 7-2 overall, while Richard Stockton fell to 5-5. The Ospreys were led by Derrick Williams with 10 points.

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UW-Platteville center Jeff Skemp had season-ending knee surgery Dec. 23 and will miss the remainder of the season, Pioneer Coach Paul Combs regretfully announced.

"I feel really bad for Jeff," Coach Combs said. "He is a three-year starter, a captain and our leading scorer and rebounder. Obviously he is a huge loss for our program. Jeff is an outstanding person who will be missed."

The 6-10 junior from Hazel Green (Southwestern High School) was averaging 12.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game at the time of the injury to his right knee.

Skemp becomes the second Pioneer starter to be lost to injury, as sophomore point guard Josh Langenfeld was lost before the season began.

Because the Pioneers only had played eight games, Skemp will have played in less than 33 percent of this year's contests and thus be eligible to apply for a medical hardship, giving him two more years of eligibility.