MEQUON, Wis. – The Falcons rallied in the fourth quarter to defend their home court in the home opener. The Blue and White bounced North Central with a 74-70 victory.

The Falcons cruised in the first quarter and pushed the lead up to 22-10 with a layup from freshman Lindsey Lonigro (Deerfield, Wis.). CUW held a 24-13 lead after the first 10 minutes.

The Cardinals flipped the script and outscored the Falcons in the second quarter, 21-6 to take a 34-30 lead into halftime.

In a tightly contested third quarter, the Cardinals pushed the lead up to 53-44 late in the quarter. North Central pushed the lead up to 53-47 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals inched the lead up to 59-50 with 8:15 left. The Falcons did not fold tied the game at 61 with a three-point basket from senior Aubrey Buchholtz (Seymour, Wis.).

The Falcons retook the lead with 2:11 left on another three-point basket from Buchholtz.

A three-point basket from junior Reagan Obry (Neenah, Wis.) put some pressure on North Central with 20 seconds left. The Cardinals stood up to the task and drained their first three-point basket of the game with 16 seconds left.

Lindsey Lonigro put the final nail in the coffin with two free throws to ice the game at 74-70.

Senior Emily Hafemann (Hales Corners, Wis.) led the game with 25 points and six assists.

The Falcons outrebounded the Cardinals on Wednesday with a 38-35 advantage. Junior Lindsey Smitsdorff (Coon Rapids, Minn.) finished with a game-high nine rebounds and five blocks.

Aubrey Buchholtz added 15 points from the bench. Reagan Obry reached double-digit points with 12 points in the victory.

The victory is the first for the Falcons against North Central.

The Falcons turn to conference play on Tuesday against Concordia Chicago.