No. 17 Pioneers edged by Luther on the road

DECORAH, Iowa – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville women's basketball team (6-2 overall) was edged 61-57 by Luther College (3-5 overall) Saturday afternoon in the Regents Center. The Pioneers, ranked No. 17 by D3hoops.com, were led by junior Maiah Domask who recorded her second double-double of the season with 17 points and 16 rebounds, but a slow start to the game proved just enough to give the Norse their third straight victory of the season.

Remarks from Coach McNiff

"Regardless of record, Luther is an incredible team," said head coach Kelly McNiff. "They are long, athletic, physical, and play a style that is hard to simulate in practice. Today shows that we have to push each other harder in practice and make each other better in the day-to-day work. I'm proud of the fact that twice we were able to dig ourselves out of big holes, once after a terrible first quarter and again after a rough end to the second part of the third quarter. We didn't quit and instead battled to the end."

Looking ahead, McNiff said, "We have to start learning from mistakes in order to avoid large deficits. Showing how we bounce back from a tough game like this will be telling. Can we handle adversity? I think we can and I look forward to getting back in the gym with our players and staff."

First half

• The Pioneers were first on the scoreboard at the 8:33 mark, but the Norse went on to outscore UW-Platteville 18-4 in the quarter.
• After a less than ideal first quarter, the Pioneers had their best stretch of the game knocking down 20 points to Luther's 15 points in the second frame.
• The teams went into the half with the Norse leading 33-26.
• UW-Platteville shot 36.4% (8-of-22) from the field and 33.3% (2-of-6) from three-point territory.  Luther finished the half shooting 48.0% (12-of-25) from the field and 37.5% (3-of-8) from the three-point line.

Second half

• UW-Platteville took to the court with a revitalized style to start the second half and went on a 13-4 run to tie the game up 39-39 with 3:47 remaining in the third quarter.
• The Pioneers' hot streak cooled and Luther led 53-43 going into the fourth quarter. 
• UW-Platteville chipped away and fought its way back once again and trailed just 57-55 with 1:03 remaining in the game.
• A jump shot followed by two made free throws gave Luther a 61-55 lead with 00:12 remaining. The Pioneers dished out one more layup, but fell short 61-57 as time expired. 
• In the half, the Pioneers shot 37.5% (12-of-32) from the field and went 44.4% (4-of-9) from behind the three-point line. Luther shot 42.3% 11-of-26 from the field and 40.0% (2-of-5) from three-point territory.

Notables 

• UW-Platteville is 6-2 overall this season.
• Luther improved to 3-5 overall with its third straight win and second win over a nationally ranked team.
• UW-Platteville is currently ranked No. 17 in the d3hoops.com Top 25 Poll while the Pioneers are also ranked 25 in the WBCA poll.
• The Pioneers out-rebounded Luther 41-25 while turning over the ball 24 times to the Norse's 17 turnovers.
• Domask led the Pioneers with 17 points, 16 boards, one assist, and three steals.
• Senior Morgan Horstman also tallied 17 points and added five rebounds, five assists, and four steals. 
• UW-Platteville shot 37.0% (20-of-54) from the field and 40% (6-of-15) from the three-point arc. Luther finished shooting 45.1% (23-of-51) from the field and 38.5% (5-of-13) from the three-point line.
• The Pioneers were 78.6% (11-of-14) from the free throw line while the Norse shot 71.4% (10-of-14). 

Up next

The Pioneers return home on Friday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. when they host Lakeland University on Youth Night. UW-Platteville will Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer in the matchup against the Muskies on Bo Ryan Court.