Pioneers Earn Season Opening Win Behind Defensive Effort

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – In the 2024-25 season opener, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville women's basketball team (1-0) shut down Augustana (Ill.) (0-1) in the final three quarters to win 71-40 on Wednesday night inside Williams Fieldhouse.

Augustana found success offensively in the early stages of the game, knocking down four first quarter threes to take a 16-14 lead into the second frame. After the Vikings scored the first two buckets of the second to extend the lead to six, the Pioneers went on a 19-3 run to close the quarter behind stifling defense and timely shooting. That stretch included UW-Platteville scoring the final 12 points of the half, with junior Allison Wokatsch leading the charge with eight points.

The Pioneers defensive effort continued in the third quarter, as they held Augustana to just one field goal make and forced 10 turnovers. The offense put together its best quarter as well, shooting 50 percent from the field and scoring 23 points to open up a 56-32 lead. UW-Platteville continued to extend that lead in the final quarter, ultimately winning by 31 at 71-40.

The Vikings shot 41.7 percent (5-of-12) in the first quarter, but the Pioneers defense held the visiting team to just 17.6 percent (6-of-34) across the final three frames. The low shooting marks coincided with UW-Platteville generating 29 turnovers, 19 of which were steals. Ten different Pioneers had at least one steal in the game, with senior Brynlee Nelson, senior Brianna Prieve, junior Ashley Weir, and Wokatsch each recorded three apiece.

UW-Platteville was able to turn those 29 turnovers into a 30-11 advantage in points off turnovers. The turnovers allowed the Pioneers to play in transition effectively as the team finished with 16 fast break points compared to just one for Augustana.

On the offensive end, junior Ella Mackiewicz led the team in scoring with 14 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Wokatsch joined her in double figures with 12 points, while Nelson added nine points with a team-high four free throw makes.

The Pioneers shot 42.9 percent (27-of-63) from the floor in the win and 22.7 percent (5-of-22) from beyond the arc. Most of the offensive success came in the paint, as UW-Platteville finished with a 40-10 advantage in that category.

The Pioneers will travel to Cornell College this weekend for a pair of games. UW-Platteville will face Coe in a neutral site game on Saturday evening at 5 p.m. to begin the trip.