HOLLAND, Mich. — The UW-River Falls women's basketball team fell just short of its upset attempt against #19 Hope College on the road on Saturday, November 30, falling 72-53.

The Falcons and Flying Dutch tied heading into the fourth quarter, but UWRF's upset attempt ultimately fell short as #19 Hope College pulled away with a big fourth quarter. The loss dropped UWRF's record on the season to 4-3, with two of its losses coming against top-25 ranked opponents.

The Falcons opened the game with a 9-4 lead, but the Flying Dutch closed the first quarter on a 9-0 run that saw UWRF fall behind 22-16 at the first intermission. Averie Varsho hit two three-pointers in the first quarter to lead UWRF's offensive efforts early on.

The Falcons stepped up their defensive efforts in a low-scoring second quarter, as UWRF held Hope to 13.3% from the field. UWRF dominated the boards with a 16-7 advantage in rebounding and outscored the Flying Dutch 14-5 in the second quarter. The Falcons found themselves down 27-23 with 4:14 remaining in the half, but rattled off a 7-0 run to close the quarter, giving UWRF a 30-27 lead at halftime.

The third quarter was neck and neck, as Hope College pulled ahead by three points early in the frame, before the Falcons bounced back to lead 40-36 with 2:10 remaining in the third quarter. A driving layup by the Flying Dutch with four seconds remaining in the quarter tied the game at 44-44, setting the stage for a winner-take-all fourth quarter.

The Flying Dutch opened the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run that put the Falcons down 53-44, prompting a UWRF timeout at the 6:29 mark. The run extended to 14-0 out of the timeout, as the Falcons fell behind 58-44 with 5:37 to go. UWRF trimmed the lead to 12 with three minutes to go, but Hope College pulled away to win 72-53 behind a 56.3% team shooting percentage in the final quarter.

As a team, UWRF shot 35.2% (19-54) from the field. Both teams finished with an even 36 rebounds. Zoey Buchan led the Falcons with 12 points off 5-10 shooting from the field. Olivia Hoerl and Olivia Miron led UWRF with eight rebounds each, while Paige Pearson totaled two steals.

Next up, the Falcons will host North Central at 7 p.m. on Dec. 7 at Page Arena. Tickets can be purchased here.