Falcon women give Butte a tough battle but lose by nine

The Folsom Lake women's basketball team, ranked #18 in California - the first time the women have cracked the top 20 in program history - took on the state's #2 ranked Butte Roadrunners on Thursday night at Falcon Gym and made a compelling argument for their own high ranking. Though the Falcons fell to the Roadrunners 71-62, it was not at all an easy win for the visitors.  After spotting Butte a 10-point lead in the first few minutes of play, the Falcons settled down and kept creeping back into striking range, twice cutting Butte's lead to five points.  With a stifling defense that shut down the Roadrunners' outside shooting (Butte made just 3 of 20 three-point attempts), the Falcons pulled to within six in the final minutes.  Butte held off the challenge by making their free throws when the Falcons were forced to foul.

Sophomore forward Eva Graf and freshman guard Alysa Lopez  scored 16 points apiece to lead the Falcons, while Emily Ko and Reya Lee added 13 and 11 points, respectively.  The most telling statistic was in overall rebounds, where Butte dominated 48-30, including 12 offensive rebounds.

The Falcons, now 9-2 overall, will play at Solano (5-6) on Friday night before opening Big 8 Conference play on December 20.