EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The start to the 2021-22 season feels a bit like old home week for the Yellowjacket women's basketball team. The first three opponents all hail from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the circuit UW-Superior called home for more than a century.
 
Saturday afternoon was the third of the three games against former conference opponents, as the Yellowjackets took on UW-River Falls in their second game of the UW-Eau Claire Tip-Off Tournament, and unfortunately for the Yellowjackets, Saturday's contest followed a familiar script.
 
Paige Servais (Savage, Minn./Burnsville), who scored a career-high 14 points Friday against UW-Eau Claire, matched that number and then some Saturday, dropping in 20 points but it wasn't enough, as the Yellowjackets fell to River Falls 87-70 at Zorn Arena in Eau Claire.

The loss drops the Yellowjackets to 0-3 on the year.
 
Servais came out on fire, going 3-for-3 from outside the arc in putting the Yellowjackets in front of the Falcons 9-8 early in the first quarter. That would be the last time the Yellowjackets would be in front in this one, as the Falcons found their collective footing and went on a 14-2 run to close the opening frame.
 
The River Falls lead grew to as big as 18 in the second quarter, but the Yellowjackets started working their way back and a pair of free throws from Allie Zimmer (Waconia, Minn./Waconia) got them to within 10 at 37-27. River Falls would score five of the last seven points in the half and go to the locker room leading the Yellowjackets 42-29.
 
In the third quarter the Yellowjackets came out shooting well, and a three-pointer from Kaelyn Christian (St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville Senior) cut the River Falls lead to 44-37 with 8:18 to go. Nearing the midpoint of the quarter the Yellowjackets continued to saw into the lead, and a pair of Servais free throws made it a four-point deficit, 49-45. As the quarter went on the Falcons got hot and lead by 17, 71-54 entering the fourth quarter.
 
River Falls would build the lead back up to 22 before the Yellowjackets again began a comeback. Christian hit a three with seven minutes to go cutting the lead to 15 at 78-63. Two more points by Christian brought the lead down again. That's as close as the Yellowjackets would get as the Falcons picked up the win.
 
Christian would finish the game with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-5 from outside the arc. She also had three rebounds and an assist. Allison Luoma (Iron River, Wis./Northwestern) had eight points, four rebounds and three assists, while Mady Sanders (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) had six points and a team-high eight rebounds.
 
The Yellowjackets will be back in action Wednesday, Nov. 17 when they travel across the bridge to take on the College of St. Scholastica. The opening tip is set for 5:30 p.m. at Reif Gymnasium in Duluth.