RIVER FALLS, Wis. – The UW-River Falls women's basketball team opened its 2025-26 campaign with a 59-43 victory over No. 18-ranked Calvin University Friday evening at Page Arena during game one of the UWRF Invite.

A stifling Falcon defense held the Knights to just four points in the first quarter while overall limiting Calvin to 31 percent shooting from the field.

Senior Olivia Hoerl led the way for UWRF with a game-high 17 points and seven rebounds, while Zoey Buchan added 11 points, four assists, and two steals. Olivia Boily anchored the paint with a 13-rebound, six-point effort as UWRF controlled the glass 40-36 and outscored Calvin 30-28 in the paint.

After a slow start offensively, the Falcons used a 16-point second quarter to take a 26-16 lead into halftime. Hoerl and Buchan combined for 15 of those points, while the UWRF defense forced 12 first-half turnovers and limited Calvin to just 22 percent shooting from the field.

Calvin trimmed the deficit to single digits in the third quarter, but the Falcons trailed by at least eight points and sealed the game with a strong fourth quarter, outscoring the Knights 19-12 in the final 10 minutes.

UWRF led 12-4 in second chance points, scored 19 points off Calvin turnovers, and a well-rounded team performance led to 18 points for the Falcon bench.

The Falcons, now 1-0 overall, remain at home tomorrow to face another nationally ranked opponent, hosting No. 23 Hope College at 3:30 p.m.