WHITEWATER, Wis. – The No. 6 seeded UW-River Falls men's basketball team fell 69-67 at No. 3 seed UW-Whitewater Monday evening in the first round of the WIAC Tournament.
The Falcons' season ends with an 11-15 overall record, while the Warhawks advance to the WIAC tournament semifinals.
Rodrick Payne led the way for UWRF, recording a game-high 25 points and six rebounds with a lights out shooting performance, going 9-for-10 from the field along with seven made three throws.
UWRF shot over 53.3 percent from the field, its second-best percentage of the season, converting 24-of-45 field goals, and led 33-25 in rebounds. The Warhawks forced 15 Falcon turnovers, turning those into 20 points.
A back-and-forth game featured 10 lead changes, neither team gaining more than an eight-point lead.
Payne was in double figures scoring wise before the midway point of the first half, giving UWRF a 16-14 lead with 11:30 left in the half. UWW responded with a 12-4 run to gain a six-point lead and led for the rest of the half, and had a 37-34 lead at the break.
After the home team gained a pair of eight-point leads minutes into the second half, the Falcons put together a 10-0 run to regain a lead, up 46-44 after a pair of Payne free throws with 13:28 left in regulation. From then on, the lead wavered a few times before three consecutive Warhawk field goals put the Falcons in a six-point deficit, trailing 65-59 with under three minutes remaining.
On the night, the Falcons drew 20 fouls, and a pair of Warhawks fouled out late, in which UWRF capitalized. Made free throws from
Logan Jedwabny and
Dylan Parker late tied the game at 67-67 with 41 seconds remaining. Following a Warhawk timeout, a made layup gave the home team a 69-67 lead, and the Falcons came up short on a last-second three-point attempt.
Behind Payne's effort, Jedwabny and Parker each had 13 points.
