RIVER FALLS, Wis. - The UW-River Falls men's basketball team tallied its second overtime victory of the season, defeating the University of Northwestern 92-88 Tuesday evening at Page Arena.
The Falcons, now 3-2 overall, were led by senior guard
Noah Hanson's career-high 34 points off 10-of-20 shooting from the field, including seven made three-pointers.
Hanson's point total is the most by a Falcon since
Alex Herink's 34 points on Nov. 18, 2016.
UWRF collected season-highs with 14 three-point field goals made and drew 18 Northwestern fouls. At the line, the Falcons made a season-high 16 free throws. The Falcons led 47-37 in rebounds while the Eagles turned in 17 points off UWRF turnovers.
Behind Hanson's efforts,
Rodrick Payne notched a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Bryce Phillips also added 14 points with five assists.
A back-and-forth, even-paced game led to 20 lead changes and little room for either team to make a run.
With seconds remaining in the first half, a
Dylan Parker three-pointer gave the Falcons momentum heading into the break despite Northwestern leading 38-37.
Neither team led by more than four points throughout the second half. With 11:28 left in regulation, a
Regan Merritt triple gave the Falcons a 59-55 advantage, their largest lead of the half. Northwestern answered and eventually gained a two-point lead at 75-73 with 35 seconds remaining.
Following a Falcon timeout, Payne earned a three-point opportunity with a jumper and a Eagle foul, but missed the free throw, leading to overtime tied at 75-75.
The overtime featured a couple early lead changes before back-to-back Hanson three-pointers gave the Falcons' the lead for good. He added another for good measure with just over a minute remaining and free throws down the stretch by Phillips and
Terence Anthony-Larmouth sealed the win.
UW-River Falls heads to Lincoln, Neb., this weekend to compete at the Nebraska Wesleyan University Snyder Classic, matching up against East Texas Baptist University and Howard Payne University.
