Box Score LA CROSSE, Wis. (uwrfsports.com)- The UW-River Falls men's basketball team squared off against the UW-La Crosse Eagles two times during the regular season and were defeated both instances. This time, when it mattered the most, the four-seeded Falcons (17-10, 9-5 WIAC) got their revenge and defeated the one-seeded Eagles 72-61 in the semifinals of the WIAC Conference Tournament.
In the process, the Falcons advanced to the finals of the WIAC Conference Tournament for the first time since the 2011-2012 season. That year, the Falcons defeated the UW-Whitewater Warhawks to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Early on, the Falcons found themselves in a sizeable deficit. The Eagles jumped out to a 6-21 lead, but the Falcons clawed back thanks to senior forward
Jon Christensen and lockdown defense.
Christensen and the Falcons went on an 18-2 run to take a 24-23 lead with over seven minutes left in the first half. During the run, Christensen buried four of his seven made three-point field goals to give the Falcons the lead when, just a few minutes before, it looked like the Eagles were going to run away with the game.
After the Falcons took the lead, the Eagles retook the lead two possessions later, but they did not have it for long.
A jumper from senior center
Connor Goodwin, two free throws from sophomore guard
Devin Buckley, and another three-point field goal from Christensen gave the Falcons a 31-25 lead with over four minutes left in the first half.
The 31-25 score would be the score at halftime, as both teams clamped down on the defensive end.
With over 10 minutes left in the first half, the Eagles scored their 21
st point of the game. After that point, the Falcons gave up only four more points to the Eagles.
The second half opened up on a positive note for the Falcons, as senior forward
Jack Herum buried a three-point field goal to give the Falcons a nine-point lead. After a basket from junior forward
Garret Pearson and two baskets from UWL, Herum nailed another three-pointer to give the Falcons a 10-point lead; their biggest lead at that point in the game.
For about the next four minutes, the Eagles kept chipping away at the Falcons' lead. The Eagles got as close as five points, but they could not get any closer due to a 15-2 run by the Falcons.
A three-point field goal from sophomore guard
CJ Lewis, a jumper from
Garret Pearson, a layup from
Connor Goodwin, two three-point field goals from
Jon Christensen, and a layup from junior guard
Grant Erickson gave the Falcons a 58-40 lead.
UWL did not go away quietly though. With over four minutes left in the second half, UWL cut the Falcons' lead down to 61-54.
The Falcons did not panic and lengthen their lead back to double digits on a layup from Goodwin and a fast break dunk from Pearson. Pearson's dunk took the wind out of the Eagles' sails because they did not get any closer to the Falcons.
UWRF defeated UWL 72-61 to advance to the finals of the WIAC Conference Tournament.
Jon Christensen was the leading scorer for the Falcons, as he tallied 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds. All of Christensen's points came from behind the three-point line.
Garret Pearson scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds.
Grant Erickson scored 10 points and dished out a season-high seven assists.
Jack Herum tallied eight points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Connor Goodwin and sophomore forward
Brennan Witt grabbed a combined 15 rebounds off of the bench.
On Sunday, February 28, the Falcons travel to Oshkosh to take on UW-Oshkosh for the WIAC Conference Tournament title and the right to go to the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons and Titans played twice during the regular season with the home team winning both matchups.
