PELLA— The Central College women's basketball team had its home opener on Wednesday, hosting the University of Wisconsin – River Falls Falcons. Unfortunately, the Dutch came up short, taking its first loss of the season after starting off 3-0.

It didn't take long for the Falcons to take control of the game, as they led 23-6 after the first quarter and 36-14 at halftime. The Falcons came out of the gate with a full-court press that gave the Dutch problems, effecting their ability to get into their sets and find a rhythm offensively. However, the Dutch made the necessary adjustments at halftime and showed promising improvements in the second half.

The Dutch matched their first half total in the third quarter alone, scoring 14 points backed by three three-pointers from guard Emily Naughton (junior, Indianola) They then carried this momentum over to the fourth quarter, where they outscored the Falcons 12-7 in the quarter. Their second half effort was not enough, however, as they ended up losing 61-40.

Central will look to get back to its winning ways with another home game on Saturday, November 15 against North Central University (Minn.) at 3 p.m.