RIVER FALLS, Wis. (uwrfsports.com) - On the brightly lit stage in U.S. Bank Stadium, UW-River Falls had the chance to participate in the first-ever basketball game in the Minnesota Vikings stadium in preparation for the NCAA Final Four in April. However, the Falcons came up short in their game against St. Thomas in the U.S. Bank Classic 85-70 on Friday night.

The game was stop-and-start all night as there were 54 fouls called between the teams, with 31 going against St. Thomas. The Falcons finished the game 28-38 at the free throw line, while both teams had a combined nine players with at least four fouls.

"It was just so different from what we've been used to all year," senior forward Austin Heidecker said. "We've been used to playing such physical basketball and almost nothing being called … but tonight if you touched a person, they were calling something. We didn't transition to what they were calling, and we need to account for that."

It was a slow, sloppy start from both teams as they settled into the game on the raised floor of U.S. Bank Stadium. Heidecker scored the first basket for the Falcons before Jeff Berkhof brought in Alex Ohde and Ross Ingersoll off the bench. They both scored early buckets for UWRF as the team's guards struggled to get into the game, falling into an early 14-7 deficit.

A block from Julian Jackson sparked a Matt Keller fast break layup and began a 9-2 run. The run ended when Heidecker finished at the rim to tie the game at 16-16 and force a timeout from the Tommies with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

UWRF didn't make a shot from the field over the next five minutes and only made four free throws as St. Thomas rebuilt their lead. Freshman Anders Nelson hit a three-pointer after stealing an inbounds pass from Jackson to stretch the lead to 29-22, and the rest of the first half crawled along after the Falcons were in bonus for long stretches. They attempted 19 free throws and made 14 of them but struggled to finish at the rim. UWRF shot under 30 percent in the first half and attempted only two three-pointers, both of which they missed.

Ohde picked up his fourth foul just before halftime and Connor Bair had a huge rejection on Jalen Greenlee as the half expired. The Tommies took a 40-30 lead into the break after hitting seven shots from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes.

"They pressured us pretty well and we didn't handle their pressure," senior guard Clay Seifert said. "They got us out of rhythm and we played faster than we normally do. We didn't play our game, and we played their game in the first half."

Logan Halvorson also said that the Tommies' defensive pressure was successful in taking the Falcons out of the way they normally play. UWRF tried to bounce back after the break when Jackson opened the half with an and-one that forced GT Johnson to pick up his fourth personal foul. The Tommies built up their lead to 12 points at 51-39 before and-one's from Heidecker and Nathan Macho, Jr. cut St. Thomas' lead to only six points.

A 5-0 run from the Tommies was countered by three-pointers from Macho, Jr. and Seifert to create the slimmest deficit of five points in the second half at 56-51. These consecutive shots were the Falcons' only successful attempts from beyond the arc on the entire night.

A fast-break dunk from Bair and a three-pointer from Ryan Lindberg forced Berkhof to regroup after the Tommies quickly built a 63-51 lead, and Michael Hannon's next three-pointer created St. Thomas' biggest lead of the night at 66-51. Jackson and Heidecker continued to make shots down the stretch, but another three from Lindberg clinched the Tommies win by 15 points.

Bair was the standout player in the game, shooting 9-16 from the floor for 23 points and an impressive 10 blocks. Nelsen had a game-high 24 points to go along with seven rebounds, eight assists and five steals. Hannon hit four three-pointers to help the Tommies shoot 40 percent from three, down from their 53 percent in the first half. St. Thomas was also able to get to the line 15 more times in the second half than their three attempts in the first half.

UWRF was led by their post tandem of Heidecker and Jackson, who combined for 32 points and 25 rebounds. Heidecker's 17 rebounds was a key part to the 46-35 rebounding advantage the Falcons had. They also committed 11 fewer turnovers than the Tommies but just couldn't hit the shots they needed and finished 31 percent from the floor.

"It was a once-and-a-lifetime experience," Heidecker said. "We lost, but we got a once-and-a-lifetime opportunity and I'm thankful for it."

The Falcons will continue their non-conference schedule when they take on Viterbo University at home next Saturday. Tip off is set for 5 p.m.