The Falcon men's basketball team lost a heartbreaking 62-58 WIAC game at UW-Platteville on Saturday afternoon.

The Falcons finish the season 19-6 overall and 12-4 in WIAC play and placed second in the final conference standings. Stevens Point won the title with a 14-2 record after they won at La Crosse, 79-71 on Saturday. The Falcons will host a WIAC semifinal playoff game at 7 p.m., on Thursday at the Karges Center against an opponent to be determined.

The loss is the fourth in a row for the Falcons as the regular season comes to an end.

Jake Voeltz (River Falls, River Falls HS)z paced the Falcons with 15 points and eight rebounds. Shane Manor (Altoona, UW-Superior) and Aaron Anderson (Stillwater, MN, Stillwater HS) each scored 13 points. UWRF shot 25-56 (.446) from the field, including 4-14 (.286) from behind the arc. They were 4-8 (.500) from the line.

UWP was led by Chas Gross who scored 21 points and Nick Allen added 17. Eric Wall, who scored eight points, led UWP with eight rebounds.  

The Falcons had a 29-28 halftime lead. Anderson led the Falcons with 13 first half point going 5-8 from the field, including a perfect 3-3 from behind the arc. Manor had seven points. Voeltz scored six points and had four rebounds. Brady Hannigan (Oakdale, MN, North St. Paul HS) also had four rebounds and he scored three points.

UWP held a 7-4 lead five minutes into the game. But an Anderson three with 14:16 to go tied the game 7-7. The Falcons, led by Anderson, went on an 11-0 run to take a 15-7 lead with 11:45 to go. Anderson scored all 11 points in the Falcon run with three three-pointers and a jumper. UWP pulled to within one, 24-23, with 2:49 left when  Cross hit a layup. UWP had an 11-0 run also and when it was over they held a 28-24 lead with 1:01 to go. But Voeltz hit a jumper with 46 seconds to play and Hannigan got a steal and hit a three with five seconds to go to give the Falcons the one-point halftime lead.

In the second half the Pioneers took control of the game early and built an eight point lead, 44-36, with 11:05 to play. But thenJontae Koonkaew (Apple Valley, MN, Apple Valley HS), Manor and the Falcons went to work. The Falcons went on a 12-0 run to take a 48-44 lead with 5:35 to go. Koonkaew and Manor each scored six points in the run. But UWP was not out of it and tied the game, 48-48, with 4:23 to go. The biggest difference in the game from that point on was just two points.

With the game tied, 50-50, with 2:44 to go Brian Kimble (Stevenson Ranch, CA, Coll. of Canyons JC) scored on a layup to put UWRF ahead, 52-50. The Pioneers tied the game with 54 second to play when Wall scored on a layup. Kimble hit a jumper with 22 seconds to play to put the Falcons ahead by two. Then with just three seconds to go, Nick Allen was fouled and he cooly stepped to the line to hit two free throws to tie the game, 54-54. A Kimble three at the buzzer missed.

In the overtime session the Falcons scored first when Voeltz hit a jumper. Wall hit 1-2 free throws with 3:42 to go to cut the Falcon lead to 56-55. After another Falcon foul UWP's Brett Stangel hit two free throws to put his team ahead, 57-56, with three minutes to play. With 1:37 to go the Falcons were called on another foul and Allen went to the line and hit two free throws to put UWP ahead, 59-56. On the team's next procession they turned the ball over and were forced to foul. UWP's Eric Gerber went to the line with 1:05 to play and hit two more free throws to put his team ahead, 61-56.

But then Koonkae hit a jumper with 49 seconds to go to cut the UWP lead to three, 61-58. The Falcon defense came up with a big stop and got the ball back and called time out with 15 seconds to go. But the Falcons missed on a three pointer with 12 seconds to go. Wall was fouled went to the line and hit 1-2 free throws to make it a 62-58 game.

Box Score