WHITEWATER, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point women's basketball team (15-11) saw its WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver's) run end in the first round with a 67-61 loss at No. 20 UW-Whitewater (19-7) on Monday.
 
Maija Rice (L'Anse, Mich./L'Anse Area) led all scorers with 28 points. She made nine field goals and was 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Jessilyn Ernst (Pardeeville, Wis./Pardeeville) was also in double figures with 14 points and led the team with eight rebounds.
 
Ernst and Rice hit field goals as the Pointers took a 4-0 lead. Laney Panich (Wautoma, Wis./Wautoma) hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 6-6. Ernst made a bucket late as UWSP was down, 22-9, after one.
 
Rice had a personal 6-0 run to start the second quarter as UWSP got the deficit into single digits. Kate Vanden Berg (Appleton, Wis./North) made a couple buckets, but a tip-in at the buzzer put the Pointers behind, 32-21, at the half.
 
Rice and Ernst combined for UWSP's first eight points of the third quarter. Emma Kilpatrick (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) buried a three. Rice also hit a three-pointer and Ernst had the last four points of the quarter for the Pointers.
 
Karissa Smith (Freedom, Wis./Appleton North) drilled a three as UWSP started the fourth on a 5-0 run. Kilpatrick nailed another three with 1:08 to go to get UWSP within five. Rice and Ernst each made a late bucket, but the Pointers couldn't complete the comeback.
 
Rice became the 23rd player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark on Feb. 14, 2026, at UW-La Crosse. She concludes her collegiate career with 1,065 points.