SAINT JOSEPH, Minn. — The UW-River Falls women's basketball team wrapped up a successful opening weekend of the 2024-25 season, defeating Saint Benedict 64-53 on Sunday, Nov. 10, concluding the CSB Tipoff Tournament with a 2-0 record.
The Falcons opened the game by building a 14-11 advantage in the first quarter, holding Saint Benedict to 20% from the field. Olivia Hoerl and Zoey Buchan each scored five points as UWRF went 6-14 (42.9%) from the field in the first frame.
UWRF furthered its control of the game in the second quarter, out scoring Saint Benedict 22-12 in the second frame behind 60% shooting from the field (9-15). The Falcons ended the half on a 13-3 run to take a 36-23 lead into the halftime break. Hoerl extended her scoreline to 11 points by halftime, while Buchan scored nine.
CSB closed the gap in the third quarter, trimming UWRF's lead to 41-35 at the 3:47 mark. The Falcons responded with a three-pointer by Karleigh Creasey that put UW-River Falls back up by nine. The Falcons went into the final frame leading 47-37.
UWRF opened the fourth quarter with seven straight points from Buchan, as the Falcons went up 54-40 with 7:23 remaining in regulation. The junior guard scored nine of her 23 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Falcons walk off with a 64-53 victory after out scoring the Bennies 17-16 in the final frame.
Buchan finished with a tied-career-high 23 points, while Hoerl tallied 18. Olivia Miron led UWRF with 23 rebounds, her second consecutive game leading the way on the boards. Hoerl's 18-point, 10-rebound performance is the first double-double of her career and a new career high for rebounds in a game.
Olivia Hoerl also scored 18 in yesterday's opener to average 18.0 points on the weekend, and was named the CSP Tipoff Tournament MVP. She was also named to the All-Tournament team along with Zoey Buchan.
As a team, UWRF shot 39.2% (20-51) from the field and 33.3% (5-15) from three-point range. The Falcons held Saint Benedict to 29.5% from the field, and totaled a 33.6% opponent field goal percentage across the weekend sweep at the CSB Tipoff Tournament.
Up next, UWRF will continue its three game road stretch to start the season, facing St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn. on Saturday, Nov. 16. UWRF"s home opener is against Gustavus Adolphus on Nov. 20.
