NEWBERG, Ore. -- After falling behind early, the George Fox women's basketball team was unable to recover, falling to the Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons by a final of 49-44.

How It Happened
The Bruins scored the first four points of the game, but both defenses put on a show in the first quarter, playing aggressively and keeping the offenses on their toes while making it hard for either team to drive to the basket. This resulted in a very low-scoring quarter, the score 12-10 heading into the second.  

In the second quarter, the Falcon offense was able to string together some points off of a couple of made free throws and a costly foul by the Bruins. However, the Bruins hung with the Falcons offensively, putting up 9 against the Falcons' 15 to put themselves within striking distance going into the second half.  

Coming out of the half with some ground to make up, the Bruins battled back in the initial stages of the third. Claire Hinds' triple — the only three of the day for the Bruins — capped off an 11-3 run for Fox and tied the game at 30. The Falcons didn't let up on either side of the ball, though, outscoring the Bruins 12-0 in the final five minutes of the period to take a 42-30 lead into the fourth.

Knowing that the game was on the line, the Bruins came out with electricity, outsourcing the Falcons 14-7 and leading the way in all of the offensive statistics. However, the Falcon defense around the rim was once again rock solid, with the majority of the rebounds going their way, which allowed them to hang on to a 49-44 lead for the victory. Fox held the Falcons to only one field goal in the final eight minutes but wasn't able to close the gap.   

Top Performances 
Forward Emily Stephens led the way offensively for the Bruins, scoring 12 points on 5-9 from the field. Not far behind was guard Ella Roberts, who scored seven. Defensively, Stephens and Roberts led the way, each recording five rebounds, with Stephens snatching four defensive rebounds to come behind Roberts' five.   

What It Means
The Bruins' record falls to 0-2, as they hope to even out their record tomorrow against Warner Pacific.

What Comes Next
The Bruins hit the road for tomorrow's game against Warner Pacific, with tipoff in Portland scheduled for 2:00 p.m.