Box Score



The Falcon men's basketball team used a strong, efficient first-half as the bedrock for a 85-71 victory over Oshkosh on Saturday night at Karges Center. 

The Falcons (18-5, 12-2 WIAC), ranked No. 25 in the D3Hoops.com poll, committed only one first half turnover on the way to a 46-28 halftime lead over the Titans (4-19, 0-14 WIAC), then withstood a spirited second half effort to hold off Oshkosh for the win.  The win moved River Falls into a first place tie with UW-Stevens Point with two games remaining in regular season WIAC play.
 
Senior Shane Manor led the Falcons with 22 points, 16 in the first half.  Ollie White added 19 and snagged 10 rebounds, and Aaron Anderson put up 15, including a big three-pointer with 1:53 remaining in the second half, that served effectively as the dagger, putting the Falcons up by 13. 

Senior center Wade Guerin also had a very strong game, providing 12 points, six rebounds, three steals and four assists.  A total that does not include some very nice passes that led to opportunities at the line for his teammates.  Brian Kimble dished out five assists while scoring 11 points of his own.
 
The Falcons opened the game on a 9-0 run over the opening 2:55, capped by a White layup.  The Titans kept coming back, narrowing the lead to eight with 8:42 left in the first half, but the Falcons used an 11-0 run over the next three minutes to open the lead up to 19 points. 

A Kimble three pointer, and four points by White powered the run.  Oshkosh threatened to close the lead to 15 before the half, but Anderson nailed a three pointer after a nice skip pass out of the post by Guerin, to keep the lead at 18.
 
The Falcons avoided a letdown and came out strong in the second half, opening the half on an 8-0 run, scoring on each of their first four possessions. Guerin again playing a big role, with two layups, including one off an offensive rebound. 

Oshkosh started to heat up from the field, led by a three point barrage by sophomore Cory Nickel, who led Oshkosh with 22 points, including five three-point field goals (four in the second half), but River Falls kept the Titans at arm's length, with Manor and White combining for 14 of the Falcons' 16 points over a more than 10 minute span that saw Oshkosh hack the lead down to 10 (the streak included five missed free throws however). 

Then came the Anderson three, that iced the game for all intents and purposes, the shot set up nicely by a White pass.  Oshkosh wasn't able to close within less than 11 the remainder of the game, as the Falcons hit 9-10 foul shots as the Titans tried to extend the game with continuous fouls.
 
The victory sets up an exciting end to the season, with the Falcons very much in the hunt for the WIAC title.  The Falcons travel to La Crosse on Wednesday night, before returning home to end the regular season against Whitewater Saturday, tipping off the finale at 5 p.m.

Box Score