Edgewood brought in the nation's 19th-ranked defense, but the Pioneer defense held the Madison school to 29 percent from the field.
The Eagles forged a 17-10 lead on David Michaelkiewicz's layup and free throw with 8:06 remaining in the first half. The Pioneers then held them without a field goal for the rest of the half, closing with a 15-2 run to lead 25-19 at the break.
The Pioneers led the entire second half, although Edgewood closed within one at 40-39. Brad Reitzner and Brandon Temperly each made a pair of free throws for a 44-39 advantage.
Edgewood had one more chance. Trailing 45-42, Randy Kolinske missed a three-point shot, and UWP guard Sean Krause leaped high to snare the rebound. Krause was fouled and made a pair of pressure-packed free throws to seal the game with 4.7 seconds left. The Eagles scored a layup at the buzzer for the final 47-44 score.
Brandon Temperly was the only Pioneer in double figures with 12 points. Guard Brad Reitzner grabbed a career-high nine rebounds, part of the UWP 40-25 advantage on the boards.
Kolinske scored 16 points to pace the Eagles, who fell to 10-9.
The Pioneers, now 12-6 overall, face UW-Whitewater Wednesday in a showdown for first place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Pioneers are 6-3, while the Warhawks are 7-2 in the conference and 15-2 overall. Game time at UWP's Williams Fieldhouse is 7:30 p.m. or 30 minutes after the women's game finishes.