RIVER FALLS, Wis. (uwrfsports.com) - Down three points with only 0.8 seconds to go, Crystal Pearson was able to find Brianna Leahy for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that banked in to send the game to overtime against UW-Eau Claire. The Falcons went 7-8 from the free throw line in overtime and outscored the Blugolds 12-6 in the extra period to win 83-77 at Page Arena on Wednesday night.

Leahy had a terrific game off the bench by scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds. She was also dominant at protecting the rim, recording a school-record six blocks in only 27 minutes of action. Brianna Koop had a team-high 18 points off the bench, including shooting 9-10 on free throws. UW-River Falls outscored UW-Eau Claire 44-8 on bench points, and the Blugolds didn't have a single bench point after the second quarter.

The first half was a high-scoring affair, and the Falcons had one of their best shooting halves of the season. UWRF was 5-10 on 3-pointers and 12-15 from the free throw line to take a 43-37 lead into the break. The Falcons led by as much as 15-10 after a jumper from Lori Wardynski in the first quarter, but the Blugolds fought back to tie the game at 17-17 after the first quarter. The game was still tied up at 32-32 with under four minutes left in the second quarter when Jenna Zeman made two layups and Leahy drained a 3-pointer to go up 39-32. 

The Falcons' lead quickly disappeared in the second half when they went scoreless for the first three minutes. Katie Essen tied the game up at 43-43, but Pearson broke the cold streak by making her second basket of the game. The Blugolds responded with a 7-0 run capped off by a 3-pointer from Maddie Dunathan to make it 50-45. Dunathan was 4-5 from beyond the arc and would finish the night with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals. Leahy took the lead back at 52-51 with three minutes left in the third quarter, and Koop knocked down only her third 3-pointer of the season as the third quarter ended to go up by three points entering the fourth quarter. 

Another 3-pointer from Hallee Hoeppner tied the game at 59-59 only two minutes into the fourth quarter, and Hoeppner would finish with a game-high 23 points in 44 minutes of action. Neither team would lead by more than three points for the rest of the fourth quarter, but Tessa Hubbard finished through contact with 2:34 remaining to make it a one-point game. The Falcons weren't able to score again until the final second, as Leahy missed a layup with five seconds left that forced the Falcons to foul. Kelsey Bakken made her first free throw but missed the second, giving Leahy just enough time to get her shot off to send the game to overtime after UWRF called consecutive timeouts to draw up a play. 

Overtime continued to be a tight contest, but the Falcons jumped out to an early lead after a 3-pointer from Zeman put them up by five. Koop finished a layup as the shot clock was expiring to go up by four with only about 30 seconds remaining, and they were able to escape with a six-point victory for their second-straight WIAC win in overtime.

The Falcons are now 9-15 on the season and 3-10 in the WIAC. They will finish their regular season by facing UW-Whitewater in their home finale on Saturday at 3 p.m.