Mueller's Double-Double Helps Pioneers Overcome Late Deficit

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Senior Sarah Mueller scored 22 points and secured 21 rebounds as the University of Wisconsin-Platteville women's basketball team (7-3) overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to beat Northwestern (Minn.) (7-5) by a score of 66-63 on Friday evening at day two of the UC Santa Cruz Tournament in California.

Junior Brynlee Nelson scored nine points in the first quarter to help the Pioneers lead 19-15 after one. UW-Platteville led by as many as eight in the frame, but the Eagles were able to keep the game close with a five-point scoring run late in the quarter. Both offenses struggled to find consistent scoring in the second quarter, with Northwestern outscoring the Pioneers 13-12. The Eagles took their first lead of the game at 26-25 on a three with 2:17 remaining until half, but UW-Platteville answered with a six-point run to go back in front. Northwestern scored the final bucket of the half to trail 31-28 at the break.

Midway through the third quarter, the Eagles used a 10-point run to turn a six-point deficit into a four-point lead at 43-39 with just under three minutes on the clock. Senior Sarah Mueller ended the run with a second-chance layup, but Northwestern maintained the lead to lead 50-45 entering the final quarter. UW-Platteville opened the fourth with a 12-1 run to pull ahead 57-51 with under six minutes to play, but the Eagles were able to keep the game within one possession for the next couple minutes. The Pioneers led by one with less than ten second left, and sophomore Madalyn Reichmann iced the game with a pair of free throw makes to hold on for a 66-63 win.

Mueller led the way with 22 points and a career-high 21 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass. The 21 rebounds are tied for third-most in a single game in program history, and the most since 1993. Mueller shot 9-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the line in the win.

Sophomore Ella Mackiewicz (15 points) and Nelson (13) joined Mueller in double figures for the Pioneers. UW-Platteville shot 37.9 percent (25-of-66) from the field and 20.0 percent (4-of-20) from beyond the arc but was efficient when it mattered most with a 57.1 percent (8-of-14) shooting mark in the fourth quarter.

The Pioneers dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Eagles 48-30 and 19-5 on the offensive end. That led to a 24-9 advantage in second chance points for UW-Platteville. Junior Barb Kling added eight rebounds to go along with the 21 for Mueller, while sophomore Lauren Sparks grabbed five off the bench.

UW-Platteville will play one more game at the UC Santa Cruz Tournament, this time against top-ranked New York University at 3 p.m. central time.