River Falls, Wis. (uwrfsports.com) – In front of over 1100 screaming fans, the UW-River Falls men's basketball team captured their first WIAC tournament crown since 2012, and achieved a sweep of the regular season and tournament championships for the first time in school history with a 60-59 win.

THE RUNDOWN
Final Score: UW-River Falls: 60, UW-Oshkosh 59
Location: Karges Center, River Falls, Wisconsin
Record: UWRF: 24-3 (14-2 WIAC), UW-Oshkosh 17-10 (9-6 WIAC)
 
WHAT HAPPENED

• The biggest swing in the game came in the middle of the second half with an 11-0 run, and a 10-0 run that included an Alex Herink dunk and the Falcons were able to score just enough to be crowned tournament champions.
• UW-Oshkosh began the game as the aggressors. Taking a 10-4 lead in the first few minutes, the Titans held the lead for almost the entire first half.
• After the lead grew to eight points with 14:07 to go, the Falcons got a layup from Devin Buckley and a pair of free throws from Brennan Witt to bring the deficit to just four.
• In response, the Titans scored the next seven points to bring the lead to 11 points, the largest of the first half.
• Then down nine, the Falcons strung together their own 7-0 run, capped off by a layup by Witt to bring the score to 28-26 with 4:47 to go in the half.
• The Titans scored nine of the next 11 points, but a 3-pointer with 14 seconds remaining in the half by senior Garret Pearson, brought the halftime deficit to just six.
• UW-Oshkosh kept putting pressure on the host Falcons, and scored nine of the first 12 points of the second half to take a 12 point lead, which was the largest of the game.   
• UWRF mounted a comeback with an 11-0 run, highlighted by a beautiful layup by Witt, which was assisted by Booker Coplin. The Falcons trailed by just one with 10:05 to go.
• After a Titan jumper, Herink took to the baseline and hammered a thunderous slam home to bring the crowd to its feet, and the Falcons to within one.
• Including the dunk, the Falcons scored 10 straight points to bring the lead to their largest of the game at 55-48 with 6:59 to go.
• A foul on a three point shot, and technical free throws, along with a layup, brought the Titans back to life with 4:00 to go with the game tied 58-58.
• The game winning shot came from sophomore guard Clay Seifert with 2:35 to go in the game, giving the Falcons a two point lead. UW-Oshkosh sank one of two free throws with 1:59 to go.
• UW-Oshkosh had one shot as time expired, but the three pointer from Ben Boots came up short and the Falcons were crowned WIAC tournament champions.

 
IN-DEPTH LOOK

• In the second half, Pearson was able to eclipse 1000 points in his career with one of his notorious hook shots, he finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds on 5-9 shooting.
• Witt was a force off the bench once again scoring 12 points. He shot 3-5 from the floor and 6-7 from the free throw line in 19 minutes.
• Herink finished with 11 points, including a pair of blocks and steals in the game.
• From the floor the Falcons shot 22-52 (42.3 percent), and made 4-13 (30.8 percent) from the three point line.
• From the charity stripe UWRF shot an efficient 12-15 (80 percent), and committed just nine turnovers.       

THE OPPOSITION

• The Titans were paced by their back court. Charlie Noone finished with a game-high 19 points on 6-9 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers.    
• Noone's partner in the back court, Ben Boots, finished with 13 points on 4-9 from the floor, and 3-7 from beyond the arc.
• UW-Oshkosh shot 19-45 (42.2 percent) from the floor, and connected on 8-25 (32 percent) from three point land.      

 
LOOKING AHEAD
With the win the UW-River Falls men's basketball team clinches a spot in the NCAA Division III Men's basketball tournament that begins on March 3. The Falcons will be made aware of their opponent on Monday February 27 during the NCAA Selection Show at 11:30 a.m.