RIVER FALLS, Wis. - The UW-River Falls men's basketball team won a double overtime thriller over UW-Eau Claire Wednesday evening, winning 86-83.
The win marked the first UWRF men's basketball double overtime win at Page Arena, with the program's most recent double OT victory coming in 2017 during the NCAA tournament at Karges Center in River Falls, a 94-92 win over Bethel University.
UWRF scored a season-high 86 points and 32 made field goals, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field and 8-of-21 from beyond the arc.
Jack Leifker tied his career and season-high with 25 points, followed by 21 points from
Noah Hanson who made six three-pointers, just two triples shy from his career-high and program single-game record.
The Falcons trailed 32-31 at the half despite leading 18-8 in the paint featuring 14 points from Leifker. The Blugolds were paced by seven made triples to claim the lead at the intermission.
In the second half, UWEC led by as may as nine six and a half minutes in, with UWRF's energy depleted by a game-ending injury to
Will Van Scoy. However, the Falcons rallied and took its first lead since early on with a pair of
Logan Jedwabny free throws with seven seconds left in regulation. The Blugolds' leading scorer Carter Huschka answered with a free throw to force overtime at 67-67.
UWRF and UWEC both scored eight points to force double overtime. An early layup from Leifker opened the final period scoring, followed by a Hanson three-pointer to give the home team an 80-75 advantage, and the Falcons led for the rest of the game. Hanson hit another three-pointer to give UWRF another five-point lead with 39 seconds left.
UWRF held a 44-38 edge in rebounds, led by nine from Leifker.
Zac Johnson and Marshal Holland each had three assists, while Johnson scored 19.
The Falcons, now 8-6 overall and 2-1 in WIAC play, remain at home this Saturday hosting UW-Oshkosh.
