The Spartans made 35 of 42 from the line, including their last 14 chances, to pull off the upset of the 20th-ranked Pioneers. UWP trailed by as many as 12 points with 5:15 to play before their aggressive defense keyed the comeback. The Pioneers closed within 80-76 on Jeff Skemp's layin with 41 seconds left. LeVon Crawford stole the inbounds pass, but the Pioneers could not convert. Nick Thomas made both free throws for an 82-76 Spartan lead.
Bo Richter drained a long three-point shot, bringing the Pioneers within 82-79 with 17 ticks left, but Norris Langord made two free throws for a five-point UD lead. Mark Gossens' layup with two seconds left was countered by two more free throws by Tyler Daugherty with 1.6 seconds remaining. Gossens hit a three-point shot at the buzzer to account for the 86-84 final score.
Dubuque improved to 3-0, while the Pioneers fell to 2-2.
Crawford and Gossens each scored 24 points for the Pioneers, hitting a combined 19 of 27 from the field.
Thomas, who was 12-12 from the line, scored 27 points, while Daugherty scored 25, making 15-16 from the line.
The Pioneers are back in action at the Mississippi River Challenge Saturday, facing Loras at 3 p.m.