WHITEWATER, Wis. — The UW-River Falls Women's Basketball team lost its matchup at No. 5 UW-Whitewater, 57-50, on Saturday, Jan. 4 in the team's WIAC opener.
UW-River Falls led by as much as 18 points in the first half, but ultimately the upset attempt fell short after a comeback by the Warhawks, who entered the game ranked No. 5 in the WBCA Coaches Poll. The loss dropped UWRF's record on the season to 8-4, and snapped a four-game winning streak.
Both teams got off to a slow start out of the gates, as a three-pointer by Zoey Buchan snapped a 3:22 stretch of scoreless action to start the game. Buchan scored six points in the first quarter, along with five from Olivia Hoerl, as UW-River Falls extended an early 14-4 lead. The Falcons shot 66.7% from the field and limited the Warhawks to 25% and built up a 17-7 lead at the first intermission.
The Falcons followed up a strong first quarter by opening the second frame on an 8-0 run, putting UWRF up 25-7 with 8:21 remaining in the first half. UW-Whitewater responded with a 5-0 run of its own. UW-River Falls extended its lead to 32-14 at the 4:17 mark, as Karleigh Creasey nailed a three-pointer. The Warhawks answered with a 10-0 that trimmed the Falcons' lead to 32-24. UWRF went into halftime leading 37-29 after shooting 63.6% from the field in the second quarter.
A 7-0 run by UW-Whitewater out of halftime tied the game at 37-37 with 6:22 remaining. After both teams went scoreless for over three minutes, the Warhawks took their first lead of the game after a pair of free-throws that saw UWRF fall behind 37-39 with 3:02 remaining in the third. The Falcons ended the third quarter trailing 43-39.
The Falcons came within four points midway through the fourth quarter, but UW-Whitewater out-scored UW-River Falls 14-11 in the final frame to pull away and win 57-50.
Buchan led the way for UWRF with 22 points, her second 20-point performance of the season — she grabbed seven rebounds and added three steals and two assists. Hoerl finished with 14 points and tallied a team-high eight rebounds.
Up next, the Falcons will head to Menomonie, Wis. to face off with UW-Stout on the road on Jan. 8. The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m.
