Elmhurst led from start to finish, opening a big lead in the first half, while Platteville struggled. The Pioneers picked up the pace in the second half and managed to close to within two points in the games’ final seconds.
The Bluejays came storming out of the gate in the first half, opening up a 9-0 lead while Platteville struggled. The Pioneers didn’t score their first points until the 13:35 mark when Brad Reitzner connected on a 3-pointer. The Bluejays responded with a 14-0 run, pushing their lead to 20 points at 23-3. Elmhurst’s biggest lead of the game came with 4:39 to play in the first half when they led by 26 points. Platteville trimmed the lead down to 24 points at halftime, trailing 39-15. The Bluejays shot 55.6 percent from the floor (15-of-27) and 50 percent from 3-point range (3-of-6) in the first half. Platteville hit just 5-of-22 shots (22.7 percent) including 1-of-7 (14.3 percent) 3-point attempts in the half.
The second half was a different story. The Pioneers scored the first nine points to trim the Bluejays’ lead to 15 points. Platteville continued to cut into the lead, closing the deficit to 10 points at 43-33 with 14:35 to play. Elmhurst pushed its lead back to 16 points on consecutive 3-pointers by Chris Martin.
The Bluejays held a 15-point advantage at 59-44 with 5:28 to play, but Platteville responded with a 16-3 run over the next five minutes, trimming the Bluejays’ lead to just two points at 62-60 with 28 seconds to play. After a missed free throw from the Bluejays, Platteville had the ball with 18 seconds to play. Evan Patchett came away with a steal with 11 seconds to play. Jay Brizzolara was able to seal the game with four free throws over the final eight seconds.
For the game, the Bluejays shot 45.8 percent from the floor (22-of-48), including 35.7 percent (5-of-14) from 3-point range. Platteville shot 40.7 percent from the floor (22-of-54) and 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from the arc. The Pioneers owned a 37-29 rebounding advantage.
Martin led the Bluejays with a strong all around game. The junior finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Brizzolara and Nick Michael each added 14 points in the win. Patchett chipped in with 10 points.
Platteville was led by 26 points from Reitzner, including 22 second half points. LeVon Crawford came off the bench to record a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Elmhurst hosts Greenville College in their final non-conference game of the season on Monday, January 3, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.