MANKATO, Minn. — The UW-River Falls Women's Basketball team defeated Bethany Lutheran, 77-65, on the road in Mankato, Minn. on Thursday, Dec. 12.

The victory improved UWRF's season record to 6-3 overall, and marked the team's fourth win out of the last five games. Four Falcons scored in double digits, led by Zoey Buchan with 15 points.

UWRF set the tone early, out-scoring Bethany Lutheran 27-14 in the first quarter. The Vikings led 4-2 in the early stages, but the Falcons never trailed after that point in the game. UW-River Falls shot 58.8% in the first quarter, as the team closed the frame on a 15-6 run.

The Falcons saw similar success in the second quarter, out-scoring the Vikings 25-13 to jump out to a commanding 52-27 lead at halftime. UWRF shot 60% from the field in the second quarter, including a 5-6 (83.3%) clip from beyond the arc.

The third quarter saw UWRF build its largest lead of the game, as UW-River Falls led 66-34 with 4:41 remaining in the period after Jocelyn Plonski hit a jump shot to extend the Falcons lead to 32 points.

The Vikings made a valiant effort at a comeback in the fourth quarter, out-scoring the Falcons by 20 points in the final frame. Despite the late efforts, UWRF's advantage held, as the Falcons went on to win 77-65.

As a team, UWRF finished 28-62 (45.2%) from the field. The Falcons held a 34-31 advantage in rebounding and a 30-28 advantage in points in the paint. UW-River Falls capitalized off 33 points off turnovers in the win.

Buchan led the way with 15 points, her fifth double-digit scoring effort of the season. Plonski was UWRF's top rebounder with six boards, which went along with 10 points. Braelyn Beiler and Olivia Hoerl each scored 10 points. 

Up next, UWRF will travel to Dubuque, Iowa to compete in the Dubuque Classic. The Falcons will face Loras at 4 p.m. on Dec. 29 and Dubuque at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 30.