BELTON, Texas – LeTourneau University men's basketball team fell to No. 9 Wisconsin-Platteville, 74-66, Friday at Mary Hardin-Baylor's Cru Holiday Classic.

The YellowJackets slipped to 6-2, while the Pioneers improved to 10-0. The loss snapped a five-game win streak for LETU.

"It was a tough shooting night," YellowJackets coach Dan Miller said after his team went 19 of 72 from the field for 26.4 percent. "Credit goes to Platteville's defense, but we really struggled making shots today."

UW-Platteville shot 27 of 71 for 38 percent. The Pioneers were 13 of 37 from three-point range, while the Jackets went 8 of 38.

The YellowJackets trailed by as many as 13 in the second half, but pulled within seven on a transition basket by Nate West with 5:25 to play. After UW-Platteville's Kyle Tuma tripled to push the lead out to nine, West sank two free throws and then buried a three in transition to pull the Jackets within 64-60 at the 4:29 mark. Carter Voelker hit a triple on the Pioneers' next trip down the floor to bump the lead back to seven before West sank two free throws and scored on a fastbreak, and Kyle Matthews sank two free throws as LETU cut it to three with 1:19 to go.

But Blake McCann hit a 3, following a Platteville offensive rebound, and that was the dagger.

West, a preseason All-American, finished with a season-high 34 points, nine rebounds and two steals. He went 10 of 26 from the field, including 6 of 15 from the 3-point line, and was 8-for-8 from the free throw line. It was the second time he's topped 30 points this season.

LeTourneau jumped out to an 18-11 lead with 12:08 remaining in the first half after Justin Moore sank two free throws. That capped a 7-0 run started by John Argue's three-pointer. UW-Platteville tied the game at 18 on a layup by Quentin Shields. West buried his fourth triple of the half, following a steal by Moore, to put the Jackets back in front.

Moore, who finished with 13 points, three steals and three assists, canned a 3-pointer at the 8:34 mark to push the YellowJackets up, 24-18. Shields hit a three 3:02 later as the Pioneers closed to within one. West, whose three 3-pointers accounted for LeTourneau's first three buckets in the game, sank a pair of free throws to maintain a three-point cushion.
UW-Platteville tied it again on a triple by Drew Gunnink 3:39 before halftime before Matthews split a pair from the stripe as the Jackets reclaimed the lead. But Gunnink drilled another 3 in transition to ignite an 11-0 run to give the Pioneers a 10-point lead. Moore hit a jumper in the paint to beat the buzzer, and the YellowJackets trailed 39-31 at the break.

Of LETU's 10 field goals in the first half, six were from beyond the 3-point line. West was 5 of 11 from the floor, including 4 of 7 from long distance. The Jackets went 6 of 24 from three-point range in the half. The Pioneers were 6 of 20.

Matthews had six points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Voelker had 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. Tuma scored 16 points, and grabbed five boards before fouling out. Gunnink had 14 points and six rebounds.

LeTourneau outrebounded UW-Platteville, 55-50, and had a 15-7 advantage on the offensive glass. The Jackets were 20 of 30 from the free throw line. The Pioneers shot 7 of 11 from the stripe.

The YellowJackets' bench outscored the Pioneers, 23-10. LETU outscored Platteville, 24-10, in transition, which included a 12-2 differential in the second half.

"We played with toughness in the game, and made it a one-possession game late, but their timely shot making versus our shooting was the difference," Miller said. "We need to keep our heads high, and bring great focus tomorrow against another great team in Whitman."

The YellowJackets meet Whitman, which is receiving votes in the d3hoops.com Top 25 poll, at 3 p.m. Saturday to wrap up the Cru Holiday Classic.