PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team (5-3, 1-1) earned it first league win with a 78-74 overtime victory at UW-Platteville (4-4, 0-2) on Saturday.
 
The Pointers erased a 10-point second half deficit and held the Pioneers scoreless in the five-minute overtime session.
 
Jake Buchanan (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) continued his streak of double-digit scoring games to begin the season and posted a career-high 27 for the Pointers. AJ Makinen (Waterford, Wis./Muskego) also notched a career-high with 19 points, hitting five of UWSP's 10 threes in the game.
 
Buchanan and Makinen each hit from behind the arc on consecutive possessions as UWSP jumped in front 10-4. Makinen buried another three and Josiah Gillie (Milwaukee, Wis./West Allis) pushed the UWSP lead to 25-13.
 
Buchanan and Mootz drilled three-pointers on consecutive possessions as UWSP fended off the Pioneers' rally. Makinen hit two more first-half three and a Buchanan layup in the closing seconds gave the Pointers a 48-43 halftime lead.
 
Scoring slowed to a crawl early in the second half with Buchanan, Elijah Vander Velden (Huntington, Ind./Wabash) and Gillie each scoring two points as the Pioneers pulled ahead 61-54 midway through.
 
Myles Coleman (Milwaukee, Wis./Brookfield Central) hit a pair of free throws, but the Pointers faced a 66-56 deficit with eight minutes remaining. Buchanan started and ended a 9-0 run over the next two minutes. Makinen hit his fifth three-pointer of the game and Brennan Timm (West Bend, Wis./West) completed an and-one for a 74-69 lead with 2:23 left. The Pioneers scored the last five points of regulation and sent the game to overtime.
 
Neither team made a field goal in overtime and Makinen made all four free throws in overtime for the win.
 
The Pointers return home for a non-conference matchup against Trine on Thursday (Dec. 8). Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.