ST. PAUL, Minn. — The UW-River Falls women's basketball team suffered its first defeat of the season, losing 64-53 at St. Catherine on Saturday, Nov. 16.

A huge second quarter for the Wildcats made a significant impact on the game, as the Falcons found themselves working away at a double-digit deficit in the second half.

The Falcons out-rebounded the Wildcats 9-8 in the first quarter, but struggled from the field shooting 5-17 (29.4%). Olivia Hoerl scored four points, as UWRF fell behind by a narrow margin of 16-11.

The second quarter saw St. Catherine outscore UW-River Falls 26-11, as the Wildcats shot 10-19 (52.6%) from the field. The Falcons held a 19-14 advantage in rebounding in the first half, but the Wildcats' hot shooting gave a 42-22 halftime advantage to the home team.

UWRF managed to slow down St. Catherine's offense in the third quarter, limiting the Wildcats to 5-18 (27.8%) from the field — the Falcons shot 4-11 (36.4%) and outscored the Wildcats 13-12 to enter the fourth quarter trailing 54-35.

The Falcons trimmed the deficit in the fourth quarter behind their best shooting quarter of the game (38.9%) and held an 18-10 advantage in the final frame, but ultimately the comeback efforts fell short in an 11-point loss.

UWRF finished 18-56 (32.1%) from the field as a team and went 6-20 (30%) from three-point range. Hoerl led the Falcons with 12 points, while Averie Varsho added 11. Hoerl, Zoey Buchan, and Paige Pearson all led the team with seven rebounds each, while Olivia Miron and Mari Ryberg each grabbed six boards.

Up next, UW-River Falls will host its first home game of the 2024-25 season, as Gustavus Adolphus comes to town on Nov. 20. Tip-off at Page Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m.