STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The UW-River Falls women's basketball team earned a gritty WIAC road victory Wednesday night, defeating UW-Stevens Point 68-62 inside Berg Gym behind Zoey Buchan's season high 26 points and six rebounds.

The Falcons (13-9, 6-5 WIAC) set the tone early, shooting 57 percent in the opening quarter and knocking down five three-pointers to take a 23-19 lead after one. The game remained tight throughout, with 13 lead changes and eight ties as neither team could create constant separation.

Buchan delivered a season-high performance, leading River Falls with 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including three from beyond the arc. She added six rebounds and came up with key baskets in the fourth quarter to help the Falcons regain control.

After taking a narrow 37-35 lead into halftime and entering the fourth quarter tied at 46, River Falls made its move. Buchan opened the final frame with a layup and later connected from deep, while Savannah Leopold added consecutive possession baskets to stretch the advantage to nine with just over five minutes to play.

Stevens Point trimmed the deficit late behind Maija Rice's 31-point effort, but the Falcons stayed composed at the free-throw line down the stretch to seal the win, hitting 5-of-6 from the stripe in the fourth.

Emily Anderson and Jocelyn Plonski each added 11 points, with Anderson also pulling down eight rebounds. River Falls finished with 35 boards and limited the Pointers to just two made three-pointers on the night.

With the win, the Falcons continue to build momentum in conference play with a strong road performance.

The Falcons will face No. 17 UW-Platteville this Saturday, Feb. 14. Tip-off scheduled for 3 p.m inside Don Page Arena. River Falls will look to finish the season 2-0 against the Pioneers as the Falcons took down, at the time, the No. 18 Pioneers in Platteville.