The Falcons found themselves in unfamiliar territory Saturday evening as they faced their first halftime deficit of 2010-11. A late surge in the final minutes allowed them to cruise past Northwestern College, 83-65, in the championship game of the NWC Tip-Off Tournament.
The men's team followed the lead of the women by defeating the host school in the championship game. Just hours after the women defeated Northwestern, the men took the floor and provided an encore performance as they came-from behind in the title game.
This weekend's tournament was the 15th annual meeting of the event as the championship game hosted two unbeaten schools in River Falls and Northwestern.
Through the first two games the Falcons have averaged 48 points in the first half but came out of gates slow as they found themselves trailing 33-32 at the break.The Falcons trailed for most of the half as they shot 41.9 percent from the field, including a dismal 4-15 from beyond the arc.
The Eagles carried the lead late into the second half as they pulled ahead 54-49 with just 10:48 remaining. After a missed free throw by the Eagles, the Falcons kicked their high-powered offense into gear as they went on a 25-5 run over the next seven and a half minutes.
During this stretch the Falcons made 10 of 12 shots, forced three turnovers and were 4-4 from three point range. Sharpshooting Aaron Anderson (Stillwater, MN, Stillwater HS) stamped an exclamation point to the run by nailing his fourth three- pointer of the night to put the Falcons up 74-59. Anderson nailed one more three pointer before his night was through to finish with 15 points for the second straight game. He was named the tourney's Most Valuable Player.
Along with Anderson, three other Falcons finished in double digits. UT Udo (Apple Valley, MN, U. of Mary) led the way with 16 points in his highest scoring game as a Falcon. Senior Jake Voeltz (River Falls, River Falls HS) added 14 points and six rebounds and Shane Manor (Altoona, UW-Superior) had another big day with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. During the late run in the second half, Manor put in seven points, grabbed two rebounds, had two assists and two steals to help put the Falcons up for good to remain unbeaten. Manor was also named to the All-Tournament team.
The second half shooting for the Falcons was too much for the Eagles to overcome. They sunk 21-35 from the field, hitting 5-7 three-pointers as they coasted to a third straight double-digit victory.
It was another team effort as the Falcons utilized their deep bench once again. The Falcons bench has contributed over 30 points in each game and they outscored the Eagles reserves 33-7 in Saturday's championship game.
The Falcons improve to 3-0 as they hand Northwestern their first loss of the season. Up next, the Falcons will put their unblemished record to the test as they travel to St. Thomas on Tuesday to take on the No. 14 ranked Tommies. Tip Off is at 7:30 p.m. at Schoenecker Arena. The contest will be the first men's college basketball game in the Tommies new facility.
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