Defense Leads The Way In Pioneers 53-32 Win

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – Behind a strong defensive performance, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville women's basketball team (2-1) rolled to a 53-32 win at Cornell (1-2) on Sunday afternoon inside the Small Athletic and Wellness Center in Mount Vernon, Iowa.

The Pioneers led by as many as eight points in the first quarter, but Cornell rattled off eight straight of their own to even the game at 13 at the end of the frame. UW-Platteville put together an efficient second quarter, scoring 16 points on 50 percent shooting, including 14 points coming inside the paint. The Rams managed to score seven points in the quarter as the Pioneers took a 29-20 lead into halftime.

The lead continued to grow for UW-Platteville in the third, and the Pioneers held a 43-28 advantage heading into the final frame. In that final quarter, UW-Platteville allowed just four points and pulled away some more for the 53-32 win. The Rams shot just 1-of-10 in the fourth quarter and turned the ball over six times.

Senior Brynlee Nelson led the Pioneers in scoring, finishing with 10 points while posting team-highs in assists (5) and rebounds (8) as well. Senior Macey Banasik, junior Alexis Strom, and senior Makayla Mau each added six points to tie for second on the team as UW-Platteville featured a balanced scoring attack.

The Pioneers shot 33.9 percent (21-of-62) from the floor in the win and 14.8 percent (4-of-27) from beyond the arc. The defense held Cornell to just 26.1 percent (12-of-46) from the field and 19.0 percent (4-of-21) from deep. Only four Rams players scored in the game.

UW-Platteville forced Cornell into 22 turnovers, 11 of which were steals. Senior Addison Baierl led the team with three steals.

The Pioneers return home to face Dubuque on Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.