Junior forward Alyssa Krajco’s hot hand from the floor and points at crucial moments led the Pioneers to their first conference win Saturday over University of Wisconsin-River Falls, 84-67.

Krajco shot 13-18 and scored 28 points in the win.

“Alyssa does so many things so well. She can beat you anywhere on the court,” head coach Megan Wilson said. “You can take one part of her game away and she will beat you another. She really showed how she is one of the top players in our conference.”

Krajco, who averaged 16.3 points per game going into Saturday’s game, had key buckets to help the Pioneers build an 11-point lead at the half, 36-25, a lead they would not give back.

In the second half, UW-River Falls’ full-court press defense gave the Pioneers a little trouble, but when they were able to break it, the offense was clicking, large in part due to Krajco and junior forward Stacy Clark.

Clark had 18 points and six rebounds, all of which came in the paint.

“We noticed it early that their press opened up the paint, and the girls did a great job in transition and finding me down low. We kept looking for it as they continued their press, and we were all able to find some openings and get a few easy buckets,” Clark said.

The win ended a three-game losing skid for the Pioneers, bringing their overall record to 5-4 and 1-1 in WIAC play. The five wins match their total from a season ago.

“This boosts our confidence a lot. It was a great team-win for us and helped us set the bar as we get into the meat of our conference schedule,” Krajco said.

Wilson said the victory showed a key element of the team’s character.

“I thought we showed great resilience tonight, and it showed me and the girls there’s no reason they can’t play like that every time we get on the court. We had a few tough games as of late, but I thought we bounced back great,” Wilson said.

The Pioneers continued their conference season last night with a home game against University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the team’s last game before the semester ends.