PLATTEVILLE, Wis. --  The Augustana Vikings women's basketball team fell in their season opener against the UW-Platteville Pioneers on Wednesday by a score of 71-40.

After two minutes of action, the Pioneers were first on the board before Emma Berg made a three-point shot nearly a minute later to snatch the early advantage. Augie tied the game at 7-7 and both teams evened the score two more times before Berg ended the first quarter with a three-point buzzer-beater to secure the 16-14 lead. 

In the second quarter, Kadence Tatum increased the gap to four and Tia Lewis kept the momentum going to give Augustana its largest lead of the game at 20-14. The Pioneers squashed the gap with a little over three minutes remaining and ran away with a 10-point run to make it a 33-23 game at halftime. Berg led with 10 points after the first 20 minutes of play going 3-5 behind the arc. 

Returning to the court, the Pioneers outscored the Vikings 23-9, with six of Augie's points coming from the free-throw line. UW-Platteville extended its lead to 24 points entering the final quarter. 

In the fourth, Augie took the upper hand in rebounds, snatching 11 from the glass but did not close the gap as the Pioneers took the game 71-40. 

Berg led the way with 10 points and three rebounds, while Tatum followed with seven points and four rebounds. 

With the loss, Augie moves to 0-1 on the season and will host the Hyatt Place Tournament on Friday-Saturday for their home opener.