The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team saw its nine-game winning streak come to a close Saturday afternoon in a 59-52 setback at UW-River Falls in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest in River Falls, Wis.
 
The Warhawks (17-8 overall, 10-4 WIAC) finish the regular season tied for second place and own the No. 2 seed in next week's WIAC Championship. The team earns a bye to one of two tournament semifinals, which will be played Friday at 7 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium against the best seed remaining after Wednesday's first round.
 
UW-Whitewater held a two-point advantage heading to the fourth quarter Saturday, but was outscored 17-8 in the fourth by the Falcons (10-15, 4-10).
 
Senior forward Olivia Freckmann (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) capped the regular season with her 11th double-double of the year with team highs of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Junior guard Becky Raeder (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) tallied nine points and six rebounds, and sophomore guard Emily Schumacher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha South) posted nine points and three rebounds.
 
Senior forward Sarah Schumacher (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) totaled eight points, and junior guard Camri Conley (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) contributed seven points and four rebounds.
 
The Warhawks were held to 33.9 percent shooting from the floor in the contest despite holding UW-River Falls to 34.6 percent.
 
UW-Whitewater led 10-6 with 3:49 to go in the first quarter following a 3-pointer by Emily Schumacher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha South), and held a 16-10 advantage by the end of the frame on two free throws by sophomore center Johanna Taylor (Wauwatosa, Wis./East) and a layup by Raeder in the final minute.
 
The Warhawks continued to hold the lead, pushing it to as many as seven at the 5:58 mark of the second quarter after free throws by Conley. The Falcons posted a 7-0 run to tie the game at 23-23 with 3:13 on the clock, then scored six of the final eight points in the half for a 29-25 advantage.
 
UW-River Falls continued the run early in the third quarter, taking a seven-point lead less than a minute into the frame. UW-Whitewater recovered with an 8-0 run to take a 39-37 lead after a jumper by Sarah Schumacher (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) with 4:11 left in the period.
 
The two teams traded the lead before Taylor broke a 42-42 tie with a layup in the waning moments of the quarter.
 
The Warhawks held a 48-45 advantage with 7:52 on the clock following a layup by Sarah Schumacher (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater), but the Falcons scored the next seven points for a four-point lead with 3:19 on the clock.
 
UW-Whitewater drew to within two on a pair of free throws by senior forward Becky Deichl (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) on the next possession, but were unable to get any closer from there.
 
The Warhawks begin next week's WIAC Championship as the two-time defending champion. The winner of the tournament earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.