The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team played in its fifth straight one-possession game Wednesday night, falling 70-68 against eighth-ranked UW-Platteville in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
The Warhawks (7-15 overall, 2-9 WIAC) had a chance to tie or take the lead on the game's final possession, but the Pioneers didn't allow UW-W to get a shot off before time expired.
 
Junior forward Equan Ards (Milwaukee, Wis./Hamilton) registered a team-high 15 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists. Sophomore forward Breontae Hunt (Milwaukee, Wis./Bay View) recorded 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds with two steals, and freshman forward Trevon Chislom (McFarland, Wis./McFarland) collected 11 points, four rebounds and two blocks.
 
Freshman guard Austin Gates (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) finished with nine points and six rebounds, and freshman forward Rocky Martinez (Waukesha, Wis./West) chipped in with eight points.
 
UW-Whitewater held UW-Platteville (19-3, 9-2) to 39.6 percent shooting for the game, but the Pioneers held a 22-5 advantage in made free throws.
 
The Warhawks raced to a 7-0 start through the first three minutes, not allowing the Pioneers to score until the 16:17 mark of the first half.
 
UW-Whitewater built its advantage to double digits and led 18-4 with 11:23 remaining in the half following a layup by Ards.
 
UW-Platteville cut its deficit to six with 3:51 on the clock, but the Warhawks continued to use a balanced scoring attack – six players finished the half with five or more points – to take a 37-29 advantage into halftime.
 
The Pioneers cut the UW-W lead to 37-36 three minutes into the second half, but the Warhawks responded and brought their lead up to 47-39 with 12:51 left after a 3-pointer by Martinez and a jumper in the paint by Chislom.
 
UW-Platteville took its first lead of the game at 51-50 with 7:54 on the clock. From there, the two teams traded punches as neither team led by more than five the rest of the way.
 
Gates gave UW-Whitewater a 65-62 advantage with 2:13 left, but the Pioneers finished the contest on an 8-3 run, taking the lead for good with 1:13 to play.
 
The Warhawks host UW-Eau Claire Saturday at 5 p.m. on Alumni Day at Kachel Gymnasium.