Platteville, Wis., November 20, 2010 – In a battle of two of the most successful NCAA Division III men's basketball teams the past 20 years, University of Wisconsin-Platteville posted a 64-49 victory over No. 20 Washington University in St. Louis on Saturday night in the final game of the Gabe Miller Classic in Platteville, Wis.

Wisconsin-Platteville won national championships in 1991, 1995, 1998 and 1999 under legendary coach Bo Ryan, while Washington University head coach Mark Edwards led the Bears to the NCAA Division III championship in 2008 and 2009.

UW-Platteville held onto a 4-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game as Washington U. missed its first four shots and had two turnovers. Senior Caleb Knepper buried a three-pointer to trim the advantage to 4-3 with 15:43 remaining.

The Bears continued to hang with UW-Platteville on its home court, and a jumper by sophomore Ben Hoener gave Washington University its first lead of the game at 9-8. A three-pointer from freshman Tim Cooney and a fast break lay-up by sophomore Max Needle gave Washington U. its largest lead of the game at 20-17 with 4:53 to play.

UW-Platteville ended the first half on a 14-2 run as the Pioneers took a 31-22 lead to intermission. The Bears did not have a field goal in the final 4:53 of the first half. Washington U. shot just 34.8 percent (8-23) in the first half and committed 10 turnovers. Junior Alex Toth had six points to lead the Bears.

The Pioneers took their largest of the game at 43-31 with 13:15 remaining after a three-pointer by Nick Allen. Washington U. would get the lead down to seven (43-36) after a three-pointer by freshman Alan Aboona, but Platteville would hold onto a double-digit lead the rest of the game.

Aboona led the Bears with 11 points off the bench, while Toth added 10 points and 12 rebounds. The Bears shot 34.6 percent (18-52) in the loss, and committed 17 turnovers. Nick Allen had a game-high 18 points for UW-Platteville, and was named Tournament MVP. Eric Wall (UW-Platteville), Amadou Fofana (UW-Eau Claire), Chad Boston (Clarke) and Toth joined Allen on the All-Tournament Team.

Washington University (2-1) continues its three-game road trip on Monday, Nov. 22, at No. 24 Augusta College. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. in Rock Island, Ill. The Vikings opened the season with an 85-66 victory at Simpson College on Nov. 16.

Bear Notebook: Washington U. leads the all-time series with UW-Platteville, 2-1 … The Bears scored less than 50 points for the first time since the 2003-04 season.