RIVER FALLS, Wis. — The UW-River Falls Women's Basketball team earned its second top-25 victory of the season, defeating #17/#25 UW-Stout 66-58 at Page Arena on Wednesday, February 12.
A huge fourth quarter made the difference for the Falcons, who outscored the Blue Devils 30-19 in the final frame. The win improved UWRF's record to 13-9 overall and 5-6 in WIAC play.
The Falcons opened the game on a quick 7-0 run, with six points coming from Zoey Buchan three-pointers. UWRF led by as much as nine points in the quarter, before UW-Stout settled in and cut the advantage to 15-11 with 46 seconds to go. Buchan drilled her third three of the quarter with 21 seconds left in the quarter to give the Falcons an 18-11 first-quarter advantage.
Both teams struggled shooting in the second quarter, as UW-Stout held a narrow 12-10 advantage in the frame. After the game was tied at 23-23 with 2:14 left in the first half, the Falcons closed the half on a quick 5-0 run to lead 28-23 at halftime. UWRF led for 14:13 of regulation in the first half, and benefited off three three-pointers from both Buchan and Braelyn Beiler.
The Blue Devils took a slight stronghold on the game in the third quarter, as UW-Stout shot 7-10 (70%) from the field and UW-River Falls struggled at 3-17 (17.7%). The Falcons held a steady lead up through the last minute of the quarter, when the Blue Devils ended the period on an 8-0 run that saw UWRF trailing 39-36 heading into the fourth.
Early in the fourth quarter, UW-Stout pulled away by as much as four points, but the Falcons dominated the remainder of the frame. UWRF shot 5-9 (55.6%) from the field, 4-7 (57.1%) from three, and 16-20 (80%) from the free-throw line in the fourth, out-scoring the Blue Devils 30-19.
The Falcons embarked on a 10-2 run that saw UWRF recapture a solid 51-46 lead with 3:40 to go, before eventually pulling away to win by eight points after a strong team performance at the free-throw line.
Buchan finished with a game-high 19 points off 6-11 shooting, while adding two blocks and two rebounds. Olivia Hoerl and Karleigh Creasey each totaled 10 points, while Mari Ryberg led all players with nine rebounds — the rebounding statline is a new career-best for Ryberg. Beiler's three three-pointers made is also a new career high.
As a team, UWRF held a 33-30 advantage in rebounding and capitalized off 17 points off turnovers.
Next on the schedule, UWRF will host #22/#24 UW-Whitewater at 3 p.m. on Feb. 15. The game is part of a doubleheader at Page Arena, in which the Falcons men's team will also host the Warhawks at 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.
