Platteville Outlasts Bethel to Take Season Opener

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The University of Wisconsin-Platteville women's basketball team played its first non-conference game in nearly two years when it took to the court to face Bethel University Friday night at the Loras College Tip-Off Classic.  In the end, it was the Pioneers' pesky half court defense besting BU's full court pressure, 61-57.  The win marks the third consecutive season opening victory for Platteville (1-0) under third year head coach Kelly McNiff.

The first quarter saw both teams struggling to find a rhythm, with neither able to build a lead of more than two points.  Royals' forward Megan Boegel's lay-up with :12 remaining gave Bethel a 12-11 lead at the end of one.

Midway through the second quarter, the BU lead had grown to six, 18-12.  That is when the Pioneers began to chip away.  Lily Guerra (So./Yorkville, Ill.) hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit in half.  Minutes later, back-to-back layups by Sarah Mueller (So./Stevens Point, Wis.) and Taylor Gilbert (Sr./Kingston, Ill.) allowed Platteville to claim its first lead of the quarter.  Near the end of the half, after re-taking the lead despite dealing with foul trouble, Bethel switched to zone defense.  The move proved costly as Platteville scored on its final four possessions, with six points coming from fifth year senior Maiah Domask (Sr./Waupun, Wis.).  The run allowed the Pioneers to head into the locker room up 29-26.

Out of the half, the Pioneers continued to build upon its lead.  Taking advantage of six Bethel fouls in the third quarter alone, UWP went 11-12 from the free throw line helping them stretch to the biggest lead of the game, 47-37 with :58 remaining.

In the fourth quarter however, Bethel's pressure defense went from causing fouls to causing Pioneer turnovers.  In its first ten possessions, Platteville turned the ball over seven times.  By the time McNiff called a full timeout with 6:37 left, her team had seen its entire lead disappear, 51-51.  The bad news for Platteville was that they would not score another basket from the floor the rest of the game.  The good news was, just as they had in the third, the team once again took care of business from the free throw line, scoring its final nine points from the charity stripe.  That proved to be enough as the Pioneer defense clamped down and held the Royals scoreless in its final six possessions en route to the 61-57 final score.

"We took pride in our defense tonight and buckled down to get stops," said Domask, "I'm proud of my team and the way that we fought to the finish line."

Platteville was able to pull out the win despite turning the ball over 32 times.  Offsetting the miscues was a 26-37 performance from the free throw line (70%) and a 10-0 advantage on "2nd Chance Points".

Leading the offensive charge were a pair of "double-doubles" from a pair of Pioneer forwards.  Domask tallied 14 points while adding a game-high 13 rebounds.  The other box score stuffer was the sophomore Mueller, who scored a game and career-high 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds (4 offensive).

Platteville returns to Lillis Court tomorrow, Saturday November 13th to face host Loras College.  The Duhawks will enter the contest with a 2-0 record that includes a 79-72 win over UW-Stout Friday night.  Gametime is set for 4p.