STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Senior Gabby Gawlitta (Franklin, Wis./Franklin) notched her third-consecutive double-double as the UW-Stevens Point women's basketball team (13-2, 3-1) defeated UW-River Falls (9-6, 1-3) by a 58-53 final.
 
Gawlitta led all players with 12 rebounds. She also had 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field.
 
Alexa Thomson (De Pere, Wis./West) led the Pointers with a game-high 21 points. She just missed a double-double with nine rebounds.
 
Gawlitta scored the Pointers' first four points of the game. Courtney Krueger (Merrill, Wis./Merrill), Thomson, Maija Rice (L'Anse, Mich./L'Anse Area) and Ava Loftus (Stoughton, Wis./Stoughton) each hit a bucket as UWSP opened up a 12-4 lead. Gawlitta had another jumper, but UWRF closed to within 16-14 after one quarter.
 
Gawlitta again scored the first four points in the second stanza as UWSP started with an 8-0 run. Thomson buried a three-pointer in the closing seconds as the Pointers took a 28-19 lead into halftime.
 
Rice hit UWSP's only early field goal as the Falcons cut the lead to two. Karissa Smith (Freedom, Wis./Appleton North) capped a 7-2 burst with a three for a 37-30 advantage. Gawlitta had four points late and UWSP was up 45-39 heading to the fourth.
 
Thomson and Gawlitta combined for all 13 UWSP points in the fourth quarter as the Pointers held a multi-possession lead most of the quarter.

The Pointers will travel to Menomonie on Saturday (Jan. 18) for a 3:00 p.m. game against UW-Stout.