La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's basketball team fell 61-50 to 14th-ranked UW-Whitewater Saturday afternoon in Mitchell Hall in the regular-season finale for both teams. The Eagles drop to 16-9 overall and 9-5 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) while the Warhawks improve to 22-3 overall and 12-2 in the conference. UW-Whitewater clinched the league's outright title February 14. 

Despite the loss, UWL will be the second-seed for the WIAC Championship (Presented by Culver's) and host a semifinal game Thursday, February 22 at 7 p.m. The Eagles will host the highest remaining seed. 

UWL will enter the 2018 WIAC Championship with its highest seed (second) in school history. The Eagles were the third-seed in 2010 and 2011. It also marks the first time in school history UWL has earned a first-round bye.

UW-Whitewater is the championship's top-seed and will host the other semifinal match-up February 22 at 7 p.m. versus the lowest remaining seed. UW-Stevens Point (fifth-seed) plays at UW-Eau Claire (fourth-seed) and UW-River Falls (sixth-seed) travels to UW-Oshkosh (third-seed) in the first round match-ups.

The first quarter Saturday afternoon featured four lead changes and a pair of ties. UWL took a 9-7 lead with 5:21 remaining in the first quarter on Delaney Schoenenberger's jumper. UW-Whitewater went on a 9-2 run to lead 16-11 with 2:20 left after Brooke Trewyn's three-point play. The Warhawks led 18-14 at the end of the first quarter.   

UW-Whitewater, ranked 14th on this week's D3hoops.com Top-25 Poll, led 26-22 when it scored seven straight points to take its largest lead of the first half at 33-22 with 4:18 remaining in the second quarter. UWL cut the deficit to 34-30 with 1:36 left on a pair of Taylor Nelson free throws before UW-Whitewater took a 36-30 halftime advantage.

UWL opened the second half on a 9-1 run to lead 39-37 with 7:09 left in the quarter after Schoenenberger's three-point field goal. UW-Whitewater responded with an 8-0 run to lead 45-39 with 4:07 remaining on Malia Smith's three-pointer.  The Warhawks led 49-43 at the end of the third quarter. 

UW-Whitewater outscored UWL, 12-7, in the fourth quarter. The Warhawks scored the first six points of the period to lead 55-43 with 5:53 remaining, their largest lead of the game. UWL later cut the lead to 57-50 with 2:30 left on an Elise DeNoyer layup, but the Eagles could get no closer the rest of the game. UWL was held without a point in the quarter until Ava Kramer's two free throws  with 4:10 left. Kramer connected on a three-point field goal with 3:30 remaining in the fourth quarter for the Eagles' first field goal.

UWL shot 32.1% from the field for the game, including 31.3% (five-of-16) from three-point range, and 69.2% (nine-of-13) at the line. Schoenenberger led the Eagles with 12 points while Kramer and Shayla Karge each finished with 10. DeNoyer had a team-high five rebounds. 

UW-Whitewater shot 43.1% from the field, including 40.0% (four-of-10) from three-point range, and 46.7% (seven-of-15) at the line. Smith led the Warhawks with 17 points while Olivia Freckmann finished with 14 and Sarah Schumacher 10. Freckmann and Schumacher each had a game-high eight rebounds. UW-Whitewater outrebounded UWL, 47-29.