EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — The UW-River Falls women's basketball team suffered a narrow defeat on the road on Wednesday, January 29, falling to UW-Eau Claire by a score of 60-56.
The game was neck-and-neck for its entirety, as neither side managed to extend its lead past double figures — ultimately, a 20-13 advantage by UW-Eau Claire in the fourth quarter tilted the game in favor of the Blugolds. The loss dropped UWRF's record on the season to 11-8 overall and 3-5 in WIAC play. The loss brings the season series between UW-River Falls and UW-Eau Claire to 1-1, after the Falcons bested the Blugolds 65-57 earlier in January.
The game started off neck-and-neck, before the Falcons closed the first quarter on an 8-1 run that saw UWRF leading 14-7 at the conclusion of the opening frame. The Falcons shot 5-12 (42.7%) from the field in the first period and drained two three-pointers.
UWRF built its largest lead of the game, 17-9, just under a minute into the second quarter. However, UW-Eau Claire responded with an 8-0 run that tied the game at 17-17 with 5:46 left in the first half. Both teams exchanged baskets down the stretch, as the Blugolds managed a narrow 25-23 lead at the halftime intermission. Zoey Buchan scored 11 of her game-high 17 points in the first half.
The Falcons saw their best shooting quarter in the third period, going 8-17 (47.1%) from the field and 4-8 (50%) from three-point range. A fastbreak layup by Olivia Hoerl with 6:07 remaining in the quarter allowed UWRF to retake the lead, 32-31. UWRF pushed the lead in the third quarter to upwards of five points, and went into the fourth quarter leading 43-40.
A stellar shooting performance by the Blugolds in the fourth quarter made a large impact on the outcome, as UW-Eau Claire shot 7-11 (63.6%) from the field and 2-3 (66.7%) from three-point range in the final frame.
With 5:52 left in regulation, Hoerl converted a layup that extended UWRF's lead to 47-42. The Blugolds answered back with a quick 6-0 run that saw the Falcons fall behind 48-47 with 4:26 remaining.
UWRF retook a 49-48 lead with 3:43 left in the game, but the Blugolds embarked on a 10-2 run after this point that gave UW-Eau Claire a 58-51 lead with 30 seconds remaining. A three-pointer by Buchan and tip-in by Olivia Miron down the stretch helped UWRF close the gap to as small as four points, but UW-Eau Claire held on to win 60-56.
Buchan's 17-point performance marked her sixth consecutive double-digit scoring effort. Hoerl concluded the game with a double-double, totaling 12 points and 11 rebounds — the double-double is Hoerl's third of the season. Olivia Miron finished with eight points and five rebounds, while Mari Ryberg tallied nine points, three rebounds, and one steal.
As a team, UWRF scored 22 points in the paint and 12 second-chance points.
Up next, UWRF will return to Page Arena to face off with the UW-Stevens Point Pointers on Feb. 5. The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m.
