No. 17 Pioneers outlast Ripon

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville women's basketball team (6-1, 0-0 WIAC) defeated Ripon College (5-2, 2-0 MAC) 72-61 in a hard-fought battle on Bo Ryan Court Wednesday night. The Pioneers, ranked No. 17 by D3hoops.com, responded as the Red Hawks trailed just 56-55 with 7:27 remaining and went on to outscore Ripon 16-6 in the remainder of the contest.

Notes from the Pioneers

When asked about closing the game, senior Rachel Emendorfer said, "As the game went on, Maiah (junior Maiah Domask), "Chuck" (senior Morgan Horstman), and Allison (junior Allison Heckert) all stepped up and showed Ripon they could score," Emendorfer went on to say, "In the fourth quarter, the gaps widened up as the defense stuck a little tighter to them. I knew I had to attack and work on various finishes at the rim to do my part on offense."

First half

• UW-Platteville controlled the first quarter and went 8-of-15 (53.3%) from the field to take a 19-13 lead over the Red Hawks who went 5-of-12 (41.7%) from the field.
• The Pioneers dished out three three-point baskets early in the second quarter and finished 7-of-17 from the field to add another 20 points to the board.  Ripon added 16 points and shot 6-of-12 (50%) from the field.
• UW-Platteville led 39-29 as the teams went to the locker rooms.
• Domask dished out 10 points in the second quarter to bring her total to 13 in the half while Horstman tallied nine in the first quarter and five in the second for 14 points in the first half.
• UW-Platteville shot 46.9% (15-of-32) from the field and went 4-of-9 (44.4%) from three-point territory.  Ripon finished the half shooting 45.8% (11-of-24) from the field while going 2-of-8 (25.0%) from the three-point line.

Second half

• The third quarter was a neck-and-neck battle where the two teams finished with 17 points apiece.
• The Pioneers found a groove shooting 72.7% (8-of-11) from the field in the third quarter, but six turnovers allowed Ripon to shoot 41.7% (5-of-12) from the field including 2-of-3 (66.7 %) from the three-point range. The Red Hawks also added 5-of-6 free throws in the quarter.
• Leading 56-46 to start the fourth quarter, UW-Platteville had to battle against Ripon's best effort at a comeback while the Red Hawks closed in to a narrow one-point deficit before the Pioneers called a timeout with 7:25 remaining in the game to readjust and go on to secure the win 72-61.
• The Pioneers shot 55.6% (15-of-27) from the field and 25% (1-of-4) from behind the three-point line during the second half while Ripon went 9-of-23 (39.1%) from the field, 5-of-9 (55.6%) from three-point territory, and 9-of-12 (75%) from the free throw line.

Notables 

• UW-Platteville improves to 6-1 overall this season.
• Ripon falls to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the MAC.
• UW-Platteville moved up this week to No. 17 in the d3hoops.com Top 25 Poll while the Pioneers also broke into the WBCA poll this week in the No. 25 spot.
• Four Pioneers recorded double digits against the Red Hawks.
• The Pioneers recorded seven steals against Ripon with three in the fourth quarter.
• Horstman led the Pioneers in both points and rebounds with 18 points and 9 boards.
• Domask followed closely behind with 17 points along with five rebounds.
• Rounding out the Pioneers' scoring was Heckert with 11 points and senior Maddy Williams with 10 points.
• The Pioneers totaled 46 points in the paint to Ripon's 26 points and had a lead over the Red Hawks by as much as 16 points in the third quarter.
• UW-Platteville finished 50.8% (30-of-59) from the field and shot 38.5% (5-of-13) from beyond the three-point arc. Ripon finished 42.6% (20-of-47) from the field and shot 41.2% (7-of-17) from the three-point line.
• The Pioneers concluded 53.8% (7-of-13) from the free throw line while the Red Hawks shot 82.4% (14-of-17). 

Remarks from Coach McNiff

"This was a tough, hard fought team win against a really well-coached team," said head coach Kelly McNiff. "Ripon has no quit, plays physical, and hit some big shots to pull within one. We had a handful of players step up in crunch time. Whether it was a key make, steal, or pass, there were big contributions from several players tonight."

Up next

The Pioneers hit the road this weekend and travel to Luther on Saturday, Dec. 14 for game time set for 2:30 p.m. in the Regents Center.