RIVER FALLS, Wis. (uwrfsports.com) - The Falcons led for almost all of the first quarter and managed to tie the game up at halftime against the 15-2 UW-La Crosse Eagles on Wednesday night at Page Arena. The Eagles put together their shooting in the second half to eventually pull out a 61-42 victory over UW-River Falls.

Dani Craig missed all six of her shot attempts in the first half but bounced back in the second half to go 6-8 from the field to finish with a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds. The Eagles also committed 10 fewer turnovers than the Falcons, a key stat that helped them stretch their lead in the second half. 

UWRF began the game up 6-2 after two baskets from Taylor Paulsrud, and a jumper from Brianna Leahy made it 8-5 midway through the first quarter. The Falcons failed to make a basket for the following five minutes, but they were fortunate in the fact that La Crosse also struggled mightily to score in the opening quarter. The teams entered the second quarter tied 9-9 before Delaney Schoenenberger knocked down a three-pointer to give the Eagles their first lead. La Crosse closed out a 10-1 run in the first two minutes of the quarter after a layup from Ava Kramer made it 19-10. Kramer had 11 points total off the bench, and Schoenenberger was the second-leading scorer with 14 points. The Falcons finished the half on a 14-5 run to make it 24-24 at the break. Brianna Koop scored two baskets in the final minute to even up the score at halftime.

Jenna Zeman hit two three-pointer's in the opening minutes of the third quarter to keep the game within one point, but she picked up her fourth foul with six minutes remaining in the quarter. Starting guard Tessa Hubbard had also picked up three fouls in the first half, so the team had to rely on lineups they haven't used much this season. The Eagles closed the quarter on a 10-3 run after Zeman was subbed out, and the Falcons couldn't seem to find any offensive rhythm. The Falcons only scored three points in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter and allowed the Eagles to stretch their lead to 20 points in the closing minutes of the game. La Crosse shot over 43 percent in the second half, a huge improvement from their 25 percent first half.

Paulsrud led the Falcons with 10 points, while Madelyn O'Brien grabbed a career high nine rebounds against the Eagles. Koop added nine points off the bench, and Leahy had three blocks and four rebounds. UWRF is now 7-11 overall and 1-6 in the WIAC. They will be on the road on Saturday when they travel to WIAC leaders UW-Oshkosh. Tip off is set for 3 p.m.