La Crosse, Wis. -- The UW-Whitewater women's basketball team fell to UW-La Crosse 77-54 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference semifinal Wednesday evening. 

The Warhawks were ranked eighth in the latest NPI (NCAA Power Index) rankings heading into the game. UW-Whitewater will now await a possible at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The 2026 NCAA Selection Show is scheduled for Monday, March 2 at 1:30 PM Central on ncaa.com. 

The Eagles jumped out of the gate from the opening tip taking a 22-7 lead at the halfway mark of the first quarter. The Warhawks responded with a 9-0 run to narrow the gap to six, 22-16. UWL came back with the final 10 points of the quarter to take a 32-16 advantage into the second quarter. 

UW-Whitewater hit 44% of their shots but it was the home court advantage in the first quarter for UW-La Crosse that saw the Eagles knock down 87% from the field leading to the margin. 

The offensive efficiencies for both squads dropped into the 30s for both squads in the second quarter. By the intermission, the scoreboard showed 47-26 in favor of the home team. 

UWW outscored UWL in the third, but the Eagles responded in the fourth for the final. 

Maddie Andersen (Mukwonago, Wis./Waukesha) paced the Warhawk offense with nine points adding three rebounds and a pair of steals. Bri McCurdy (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls) was the most active on the glass with four boards while sharing team-high honors in assists (3) with Lily Newton (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley).