Pioneers open Season with a home Double Header

Nov 8, 2019

Platteville, Wis.- The University of Wisconsin-Platteville women's and men's basketball team will open up the 2019-20 season on Sunday, Nov. 10 with a double header vs Finlandia. The women will tip at 1 p.m. followed by the men, tipping approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game. 

The women's team will usher in a new era as first-year head coach Kelly McNiff and her team will look to return to the WIAC postseason for a second consecutive year.  Coach McNiff returns four starters from the 2018-19 squad including a pair of first team all-conference performers in Morgan Hortsman (Sr., Bangor, Wisconsin) and Maiah Domask (Jr., Waupun, Wisconsin).    Hortsman lead the Pioneers with 15 points in last year's opening game.

Finlandia and second-year head Coach Mariah Dunham return all five starters from the 2018-19 squad that finished the year winning seven of its last 11 games.

The Pioneer women last played Finlandia Nov. 25 2018 as part of the UW-La Crosse tournament and earned a 60-40 win.

The UW-Platteville men's team will look to extend their opening game win streak to 16. Head Coach Jeff Gard has won each of his previous 10 opening games as he enters his 11th season, while his squad returns a strong back court of Quentin Shields (Jr., Chicago, Illinois, Brooks College Prep Academy) and Carter Voelker (Sr., Kiel, Wisconsin).  Voelker lead the Pioneers with 19 points vs Concordia Wisconsin in a 74-60 victory to open the 2018-19 season.

Sam Casey, in his first year as head coach of Finlandia, will look to build around two returning starters from last year's team that went 0-21.  The Lions open play on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the University of Dubuque.

The Pioneer men last played Finlandia Nov. 20, 2015, as part of the Gabe Miller Tip Off Classic coming away with an 82-62 victory.

Written by: Jason Piddington, Public Relations Writer-Athletics, Communications, 608-342-7645, piddingj@uwplatt.edu