RIVER FALLS, Wis. (uwrfsports.com) – The UW-River Falls men's basketball team hosted UW-Whitewater on Saturday afternoon at Page Arena. Devin Buckley helped finish off the Warhawks late with a deep three pointer followed by a steal as the Falcons beat Warhawks 76-66. 
 
THE RUNDOWN
Final Score: UW-River Falls: 76, UW-Whitewater: 66
Location: Page Arena, River Falls, Wisconsin
Record: UW-River Falls: 15-7, 6-6 WIAC, UW-Whitewater 16-7, 6-6 WIAC.
 
WHAT HAPPENED

• The Warhawks got off to an early 9-3 lead as Derek Rongstad hit a 3-pointer at 15:39 of the first half.
• The Falcons chipped away and battled back to take their first lead of the game since the first basket of the game after a Brennan Witt layup at 10:45 of the first half.
• As the two teams earn every point early on, a Chris Laymon 3-pointer would keep the pressure right on the heels of the Warhawks as the Falcons would get within 1 point. Warhawks lead 27-26 with 6 minutes to play in the first half.
• The Falcons kept their foot on the pedal as a few free throws down the stretch would give the Falcons a 4 point lead heading into the break.
• The Falcons added to their lead with consistent play and a jumper that was knocked down from Alex Herink 3 minutes into the 2nd half.
• The Falcon lead hit double digits after a shot from beyond the arc from Alex Herink hit nothing but nylon to increase the lead to 10 point. Falcons lead 54-44 at 12:49 of the 2nd half.
• After a pair of free throws were knocked down by the Falcons' Devin Buckley, the Falcons maintained their double digit lead and had 63-51 lead with just under 7 minutes to play in the game.
• The Falcons final dagger would come from a Devin Buckley three, giving the Falcons a 9 point lead with 37 seconds remaining.
• The Falcons finished off the Warhawks to get the win by a final of 76-66.

IN-DEPTH LOOK

• Alex Herink led the Falcons with 18 points and was 3-6 from beyond the arc.
• Julian Jackson also added 10 points to the Falcon effort.
• As a team, the Falcons were 20-47 (42.6 percent) from the floor. They made 10 three point shots and were 26-38 from the charity stripe.

THE OPPOSITION

• Derek Rongstad led the way for the Warhawks as he put up 16 points and was 5-10 from beyond the arc. 
• Mitchell Pfeifer also contributed 14 points in the Warhawk defeat.
• The Warhawks shot 18-47 (38.3 percent) from the field and were 19-26 as a team from the charity stripe.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Falcons stay home for Senior Day to take on UW-Eau Claire on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Tip Time: 7:00 PM at Page Arena.