STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point women's basketball team (17-9) was not able to hold on to an 11-point second-half lead in a 47-43 defeat to visiting UW-River Falls (9-17) in the first round of the WIAC Championship (presented by Culver's) on Wednesday evening.
 
Sophomore Katy Heine (Jefferson, WI/Jefferson) scored 10 points, six of which came at the free throw line, to lead the Pointers in scoring.  Seniors Autumn Hennes (Kaukauna, WI/Kaukauna) and Lauren Anklam (Ringle, WI/D.C. Everest) had nine and six points, respectively.  As a team, UWSP shot just .275 from the field, the second-lowest shooting percentage of the year.
 
Back-to-back buckets by Mickey Roland (New London, WI/New London) and Taylor Douglas (Brodhead, WI/Brodhead) gave the Pointers an early 6-2 edge.  Hennes and Lexi Roland (New London, WI/New London) scored on consecutive possessions to close out the first quarter with UWSP ahead 13-7. 
 
Heine began the second quarter with three points from the line to push the lead to nine points three minutes in.  With 53 seconds remaining before halftime, Carly Cerrato (De Pere, WI/De Pere) broke the quarter-long drought from the field and Heine added a basket in the closing seconds to give UWSP a 21-13 lead at the half.
 
Mickey Roland (New London, WI/New London) scored in the opening seconds of the third quarter and the Pointers again went cold from the field.  Cerrato took the lid off the basket with a layup at the buzzer to keep UWSP ahead by four after three.
 
Heine and Hennes pushed the Pointers' lead to eight with consecutive buckets to begin the fourth.  The Falcons put up a 13-2 run over the next seven minutes to take their first lead since the opening seconds of the game.  A Taylor Douglas (Brodhead, WI/Brodhead) basket and two free throws by Lexi Roland (New London, WI/New London) kept the Pointers within a possession entering the final minute.  Then with nine seconds remaining, Anklam hit a game-tying three, but UWRF scored the final four points for the win.