STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point women's basketball team (12-4, 1-4) fell by a 63-57 final against No. 19/22 UW-Platteville (14-2, 4-1) on Saturday.
 
Maija Rice (L'Anse, Mich./L'Anse Area) poured in a game-high 21 points and went 6-for-6 at the free-throw line. Ava Loftus (Stoughton, Wis./Stoughton) tied her career-high by adding 13 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the floor. Rice and Jessilyn Ernst (Pardeeville, Wis./Pardeeville) tied for the team lead with six rebounds each.
 
Karissa Smith (Freedom, Wis./Appleton North) had four early points and Ernst hit a jumper for a 6-5 advantage. Rice scored UWSP's final six points of the quarter and UWSP led, 14-12, after one.
 
Rice completed an and-one in the opening minute of the second for a game-high 17-12 lead. Loftus ended a six-minute scoring drought with a layup to end a 9-0 Pioneer run. Rachel Hagen (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) and Rice had a bucket each late and UWSP was down just two, 25-23, at the half.
 
Rice ended a 12-2 UWP run to begin the third with a layup. Rice completed another and-one, but the Pointers were down 45-33 heading to the fourth.
 
Hagen had layups on both sides of a three-pointer by Rice as UWSP chipped away at the deficit. Loftus scored six-straight for the Pointers. After Rice got the deficit into single digits, Loftus drilled a three to get within 59-53. Jaycee Mani (Germantown, Wis./Germantown) had a late layup.
 
The Pointers travel to UW-River Falls for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff on Wednesday (Jan. 21).