UW-River Falls men's basketball saw its season come to a heartbreaking end in the opening round of the WIAC Tournament, falling 81-79 in overtime to UW-Eau Claire at the Karges Center. The Falcons trailed 40-33 at halftime but rallied in the second half to take a late lead. With just over three minutes remaining in regulation, UWRF was up 66-61, but the Blugolds clawed back behind the clutch shooting of Tyson Kalien and the steady play of Lewis Mau. Eau Claire tied the game at 71-71 in the final seconds to force overtime.

In the extra period, both teams continued to trade baskets. River Falls tied the game at 76-76 on a hook shot with just over a minute left, but Eau Claire answered quickly with a baseline layup from Jack Martinek to regain the lead. The Falcons cut it to one point at 78-77 on free throws, but the Blugolds held on behind two more free throws from Mau and a late three-pointer by Kalien that effectively sealed the win.

George Diekelman led Eau Claire with a game-high 19 points, while Kalien added 18, including several momentum-shifting shots down the stretch. Mau contributed 16 points and played a key role in both regulation and overtime. Martinek chipped in 12 for the Blugolds.

UW-River Falls finished the game shooting 38.8% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range, compared to Eau Claire's 49.2% overall and 47.1% from behind the arc. The loss ends the Falcons' season with a final record of 16-10, while Eau Claire advanced to face top-seeded UW-Whitewater in the conference semifinals.