By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. — James Cullen (Western Springs, Ill.) knocked down 4 of 6 3-pointers and scored a team-best 16 points, but the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota men's basketball team could not overcome UW-Platteville's game-opening 13-0 run in falling to the Pioneers 84-60 at the JustAGame Classic.
 
UW-Platteville knocked down three field goals—including a 3-pointer—and went 6-for-6 from the free throw line en route to building its 13-0 lead. Brandon Retzlaff (Elroy, Wis.) drained a 3-pointer to get the Cardinals on the board at 15:38 of the first half—sparking an 11-2 Saint Mary's run that cut the Pioneer lead to four, 15-11.
 
From there, however, it was all UW-Platteville, as the Pioneers scored 27 of the final 42 points of the opening half to take a commanding 42-26 lead into the locker room at the break.
 
Jakob Bailey (Cameron, Wis.) scored the first points of the second half to get the Cardinals within 14, 42-28, but that was as close as they would get, as UW-Platteville outscored Saint Mary's 42-34 over the game's final 20 minutes in securing the win.
 
Along with Cullen's 16 points, the Cardinals—who shot 42 percent from the field (21-for-50) with nine 3-pointers—also got 11 points from David Lindstrand (Lakeville, Minn.).
 
Robert Duax scored a game-high 27 points for the Pioneers, who also got double-figure scoring from Clay Gerds (17) and Carter Voekler (13).
 
The Cardinals (1-9 overall) are now off until next Saturday, when they return to Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play, traveling to Saint John's Sexton Arena for a 3 p.m. matchup with the Johnnies.