RIVER FALLS, Wis. (uwrfsports.com) - Another strong shooting performance from Matt Keller led the Falcons to an 81-71 win over Carleton in Northfield, Minn., on Wednesday night. Keller was 6-9 from the field for 19 points, including knocking down four three-pointers. He is now averaging a team-high 16.9 points per game and is shooting 50 percent from the field, 47 percent from beyond the arc and 96 percent on free throws. He was a perfect 3-3 from the line on Wednesday. 

UW-River Falls stormed ahead of Carleton in the early stages of the game as Keller and Clay Seifert hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Falcons an early 6-0 lead. UWRF found themselves up 28-9 after a Keller three-pointer with six minutes left in the first half, but the Knights were able to end the half on a 20-7 run to make it a six-point game at halftime. Matthew Stritzel had eight of his 17 points during the run, and the Knights oushot the Falcons 40 percent to 34 percent in the first half. 

The Falcons stretched their lead back to double digits after a jumper from Julian Jackson a minute into the second half. Jackson had 14 points and eight rebounds on the night in 30 minutes of action, including three assists. However, a layup from Kent Hanson tied the game back up at 46-46 with under 15 minutes remaining. These were two of Hanson's game-high 24 points on 10-19 shooting that helped Carleton to get back into the game. Ross Ingersoll responded with a well-timed three-pointer to give the Falcons a lead they would hold for the rest of the game. UWRF wouldn't allow their lead to drop to less than seven points in the final eight minutes, insuring a hard-fought victory on the road. 

Austin Heidecker finished the game with 11 points and 12 rebounds while also going 5-5 on free throws. UWRF shot over 50 percent in the second half, including a much-improved 9-11 on free throws. The Falcons also received 23 points from their bench, in large part to the improved play of Jalen Greenlee. He broke out of a scoring slump by dropping 13 points, six rebounds and three steals on Wednesday night, which was a career high for rebounds and steals. 

With the win the Falcons are now 5-3 overall. They will play another MIAC opponent on Saturday when they travel to Hamline for a 3 p.m. tip off.