The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team were unable to outlast top-ranked UW-Platteville on Senior Night. The Pioneers pulled away late for the 78-62 win in Kachel Gymnasium.

The Warhawks opened up the game looking for their second upset over the No. 3 UW-Platteville. The Warhawks beat the Pioneers (then ranked No. 1 in the nation), 74-68, in their previous meeting this season. 

UW-Whitewater kept the game close, not allowing the Pioneers to pull away early. With 10-minutes to go in the half, the Warhawks trailed by just three at 21-18.

But UW-Platteville started to get hot, shooting over 65% from the floor and 70% from deep to start the game. The Pioneers led by as much as 13 points in the first half. Towards the end of the first half, the Pioneers cooled off and the Warhawks started to take control of the game.

The Warhawks finished the first half on an 11-0 run, including a near-buzzer beater from senior JT Hoytink (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) to give the Warhawks a breath of life heading into the locker room. At the halftime buzzer, the Warhawks only trailed by two points at 35-33. 

Coming out of the break, the Warhawks kept finding ways to stay in the game. A Luke Bara (Waukesha, Wis./Muskego) three-pointer gave UWW their first lead since the opening basket. From there, it became a shootout, with the lead bouncing back and forth between the Warhawks and Pioneers. 

Top-ranked UW-Platteville didn't let the Warhawks pull away, with the Warhawks never leading by more than a basket. With 7-minutes left in the game, the game was knotted up at 53. 

After the under-8 media timeout, UWP started to pull away with a 14-2 run. With the lead back up to double-digits, the Warhawks looked to their senior captain to keep them in the game.

Carter Capstran (Franklin, Wis./) cut the lead back to single digits with a three-pointer and a lay-up with four-minutes to go. But the Pioneers made use of the charity stripe, keeping the game out-of-reach in the final minutes. UWP closed the game on a 7-0 run, making all five of their free throw attempts. 

Capstran led the Warhawks with 18 points, recording 7 rebounds. Capstran hit a career milestone of 500 rebounds in the contest. 

Bara added in 10 points with Darius Chestnut (Sun Prairie, Wis./West) chipping in 9. 

JT Hoytink (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) and Richie Warren (Racine, Wis./Park) led the defensive efforts. Hoytink led the team with two steals while Warren had three blocks. 

The Warhawks wrap up the regular season on the road, heading to UW-Eau Claire on Saturday, February 22nd. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 PM.