Pioneers dominate home opener over Finlandia, 82-62
PLATTEVILLE, Wis. -- The men’s Pioneer basketball team utilized a 50-point first half to propel themselves to an 82-62 dominating victory in their home opener over the Finlandia University Lions on Friday night at Bo Ryan court. The last time the Pioneers scored 50 points in one half was Jan. 14, 2015 against UW-Superior.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Finlandia
0-2
|
24 | 38 | 62 |
|
Wis.-Platteville
2-1
|
50 | 32 | 82 |
Team Stats
Finlandia
| Game Statistics | Finlandia | Wis.-Platteville |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (20-54) | (31-63) |
| Field Goal % | 37.0% | 49.2% |
| Rebounds | 27 | 36 |
| Assists | 6 | 12 |
| Turnovers | 11 | 13 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 11 | 9 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 2 | 17 |
| Pts in the Paint | 18 | 28 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 2 | 2 |
| Bench Pts | 62 | 32 |
Written by: Jeremy Williamson, Sports Information Student Assistant
PLATTEVILLE, Wis. -- The men's Pioneer basketball team utilized a 50-point first half to propel themselves to an 82-62 dominating victory in their home opener over the Finlandia University Lions on Friday night at Bo Ryan court. The last time the Pioneers scored 50 points in one half was Jan. 14, 2015 against UW-Superior.
Sophomore guard Matt Oestreich started the first half scoring barrage for the Pioneers with a layup over three Lion defenders. Over the next seven minutes the Pioneers went on a 15-5 run. A three-point basket from the Lions eventually brought the game to within nine, but a pair of Cory Vaassen scores along with a trip to line on his second basket brought the lead to 13, 22-9. The Pioneers only allowed a mere 15 points over the next 10 minutes while racking up 28 points to take a 50-24 halftime lead. The Pioneers shot 60 percent from the field in the first half and 7-12 from three point land with Colin Connelly leading the way off the bench with 10 points. Head coach Jeff Gard rotated in 12 players throughout the first half.
The Pioneers tried to run away with the game early in the second half, but the Lions managed to outscore the Pioneers 13-10 in the first eight minutes. Sophomore Trey Sigel scored five of his 13 points over the next two minutes to help maintain the Pioneers' commanding lead, 67-39. Although the Lions went on 13-5 run, it was not enough to overcome the deficit and the Pioneers went on to control their home opener with an 82-62 victory.
Senior guard Boston Johnson led the Pioneers with 14 points, shooting 5-10 from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line. The Pioneers shot over 90 percent as a team from the free throw line and junior center Blake Derickson controlled the boards for the Pioneers with seven grabs.
The Pioneers will try to improve to a 3-1 record as they hit the court again Saturday night for their second game of the Gabe Miller Tipoff Classic against Davenport University, set to begin at 7 p.m.
