Box Score

Menomonie, Wis. (uwrfsports.com) – In the second game of a back-to-back the UW-River Falls men's basketball team was defeated by Hope College 90-81 in the second day of the UW-Stout Tip-Off Classic.  

THE RUNDOWN
Final Score: UW-River Falls: 81, Carthage College 90
Location: Recreation Complex, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Record: UWRF: 2-1, Hope College 2-0
 
WHAT HAPPENED

• The Flying Dutchmen took control of the game from the get-go. With a 14-2 run to start the game, Hope was able to never surrender the lead for the remainder of the game.
• River Falls would cut the lead to just five points with 9:54 to go in the first half. Using a 9-0 run with three pointers by Matt Keller and Matt Timlin the Falcons were right back into the game.
• Right after the 9-0 run by UWRF, the Falcons would extend that 9-0 to a 20-7 run and coming within just one point of the undefeated Flying Dutchmen.
• Down for the entire first half, the Falcons would finally tie the game with 3:01 to go in the first half on a layup by Alex Herink. The Falcons would battle with Hope back and forth until the end of the half, but the once large lead for the Flying Dutchmen turned into a 43-43 halftime tie with the momentum on UWRF's side.
• At the end of the half, Herink would have 10 points and six rebounds. Keller would have eight points off two threes and two free throws.  The Falcons shot 12-35 (34.3 percent) from the floor and had connected on six threes.
• In the second half, Hope would take the lead right back and the Falcons would not even come within a tie for the rest of the game. Hope used a 9-0 run at the start of the second half and would lead by as much as 14 once again.
• UWRF would come within five points with 5:33 to go in the half after the Falcons used another 9-0 run with back-to-back threes and capped off with a Grant Erickson and-one.
• The Flying Dutchmen wouldn't allow the Falcons to come within one possession in the remaining time, and they left the gym outscoring the Falcons by nine points in the second half to get their second win of the season.

 
IN-DEPTH LOOK

• Herink was leader in scoring for the second straight game. His 20 points on 6-16 shooting led the offense. He added 7-7 from the free throw line and 10 rebounds to register the double-double.
• After 46 free throws in the first game of the UW-Stout Tip-Off Classic, the Falcons came back to earth with 20 attempted free throws, connecting on 18 of them.
• Erickson would finish perfect in the game shooting the ball. He was 5-5 from the floor and 1-1 from the charity stripe to finish with 11 points. Devin Buckley also added 11 points on 4-9 shooting.
• The rest of the Falcons starting five were rounded off by Booker Coplin who had three points and Garret Pearson with four points.
• Off the bench, Keller scored 11 points on 3-5 shooting and Matt Timlin scored nine points all off three point shots.
• As a team, River Falls shot 27-63 (42.9 percent) from the floor and connected on nine threes as a team.

 
THE OPPOSITION

• The Flying Dutchmen got a nearly perfect game from Harrison Blackledge. In just 20 minutes of action, Blackledge scored 34 points on 15-18 shooting and sank both of his three point attempts. He added five rebounds, two steals, and an assist.
• Cody Stuive and Chad Carlson were two other starters for Hope to also get into double-figures with 13 and 11 points respectively.  
• Hope College was 35-67 (52.2 percent) from the floor and connected on 11 three point shots on 23 attempts.

LOOKING AHEAD
UW-River Falls takes their talents to Carthage College on November 22^nd at 7 p.m. before finally opening up their last season in Karges Arena on November 29^th against Viterbo University at 8 p.m. The Falcons last meeting with Carthage came in the 1979-80 season when the Falcons fell to the Red Men 83-73.