STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point football team fell short to No. 7 UW-Platteville 47-31 at today's Pink Game at Goerke Park.

Box Score

The Pointers (4-1, 1-1 WIAC) came within four points in the third quarter after a Brad Birkhauser (Wisconsin Rapids, WI/Assumption) interception that led to a Pointer touchdown, but were unable to keep Platteville (4-1, 1-1 WIAC) at bay.
 
The Pioneers got off to a quick start up 14-0 after the first quarter, but the Pointers cut the lead in half after a 10 play, 77-yard drive. After a 37-yard pass from Ryan Swigart (Winnebago, IL/Winnebago) to Jaren Pankow, Evan Dux (Combined Locks, WI/Kimberly ) walked in for two yards for the touchdown.
 
Platteville held UWSP scoreless the remainder of the half, while scoring twice more going up 28-7 at the end of the half.
 
At the 14:46 minute mark of the third quarter, Britton Vernon (Stillman Valley, IL/Stillman Valley) ran for 51 yards in the first play of drive taking the Pointers all the way down to the Pioneer 20-yard line. Five plays later, Darin Ward (Fond du Lac, WI/St. Mary's Springs) rushed for three yards for the touchdown, cutting the lead in half 28-14.
 
The Pointers were able to hold the Pioneers scoreless in their next two drives, while adding a field goal and touchdown to come within four points. On third down and six, Birkhauser picked off Tom Kelly for 18 yards to the Pioneer 12-yard line. Swigart then rushed to the back of the end zone on the very first play of the drive trailing just 28-24.
 
On the kickoff, Q. Bushchbacher returned the ball all the way to the Pointers 49-yard line and started the ball on the UWSP 34 due to a 15-yard personal foul. Six plays later, the Pioneers regained their double-digit lead, 35-24.
 
With 9:38 left in the game and after a Platteville touchdown, Jerry Williams (Milwaukee, WI/Watertown) cruised past the Pioneer return team taking the ball back 84 yards for the Pointers final touchdown of the evening.
 
The Pointers had a strong running game rushing for a total of 246 yards behind seven different rushers. Vernon led the way with 79 yards.
 
UWSP returns to action next Sat., Oct. 15 as they host No.5 UW-Oshkosh for Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Goerke Park.
Despite falling short in the win column, football's annual fundraiser gathered 4,128 people to Goerke Park for a great cause. This year, the fundraiser for all types of cancer raised $50,016. All proceeds will benefit the Joanne A. Suomi Memorial Fund, a fund that benefits the Special Needs Aquatics Program (SNAP), named after Stevens Point resident who passed away from cancer, that impacts hundreds of children in the Stevens Point community, and the Breast Cancer Family Foundation (bcff.org), which promotes cancer awareness and prevention through presentations in youth health classes at Central & Northern Wisconsin area schools.