Box Score RIVER FALLS, Wis. (uwrfsports.com)- It is hard to defeat a team three times in one season. The UW-River Falls men's basketball team did just that when they defeated the five-seeded UW-Whitewater Warhawks 80-66. In the process, the four-seeded Falcons (16-10, 10-5 WIAC) advance to the semifinals of the WIAC Conference Tournament where they will square off against the one-seeded UW-La Crosse Eagles.
The two times that the Falcons and the Warhawks faced each other in the regular season, the Falcons needed to comeback from double-digit deficits to come away with two victories. This time, the Falcons jumped out to a lead in the first half and never looked back.
The Falcons and the Warhawks opened up the game with back-to-back three-point field goals. The Falcons' three-point field came from senior forward
Jack Herum, who is a transfer from UWW.
After the opening three-pointers from both teams, the Falcons traded baskets with the Warhawks that resulted in six lead changes within the first ten minutes of the first half. After
Jack Herum buried his second three-pointer of the game to give the Falcons a 13-11 lead, the lead stayed in the Falcons' hands.
Layups from senior forward
Jon Christensen, junior forward
Garret Pearson, and sophomore forward
Brennan Witt helped the Falcons out to a 20-13 lead, but a 4-10 run by the Warhawks trimmed the Falcons' lead down to 24-23.
Two three-pointers from Christensen stymied the Warhawks momentum and helped the Falcons get their biggest lead of the first half at 35-27. UWRF would go on to make one more basket and UWW would go on to make two more baskets to make the halftime score 37-31, in favor of the Falcons.
The Warhawks leading scorer Trinson White opened the second half by slashing to the hoop and making a layup to cut the Falcons' lead to 37-33. After UWW's made layup,
Garret Pearson buried a three-pointer to extend the Falcons' lead to seven points.
To counter Pearson's three-pointer, the Warhawks went on a 2-8 run to, once again, cut the Falcons' lead down to one point, but Pearson and senior center
Connor Goodwin did not let the Warhawks take the lead.
Pearson and Goodwin scored six straight points to extend the lead back out to seven points. Those six points from Pearson and Goodwin extended the Falcons' lead for good.
Goodwin, who came off the bench and scored 11 points for the Falcons, scored four straight points to give the Falcons a 60-48 lead, which was their largest lead in the game up to that point.
The difference at the end of the game was the Falcons' ability to handle the Warhawks full-court pressure and the ability to make free throws when the Warhawks were forced to foul the Falcons.
Even though the outcome was determined by that time, the final minute of the game was exciting. The excitement came from
Brennan Witt when he threw down a massive dunk to put an exclamation point on a great performance from the Falcons. The final score was 80-66 in favor of the Falcons.
Garret Pearson and
Jon Christensen controlled the paint and were the leading scorers for the Falcons. Pearson tallied 21 points and Christensen came close to a double double with 19 points and nine rebounds.
Connor Goodwin was the Falcons third leading scorer off of the bench with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Devin Buckley contributed eight points off of the bench.
Grant Erickson scored seven points and dished out a team high five assists.
The victory over the Warhawks put the Falcons in the semifinals of the WIAC Tournament. The Falcons travel to La Crosse to take on the UW-La Crosse Eagles. The tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
