RIVER FALLS, Wis. — The UW-River Falls men's basketball team lost its home opener against Crown, 65-56, at Page Arena on Saturday, Nov. 16.

The loss moved UWRF's record on the season to 0-2 overall. Zac Johnson led the way for the Falcons with 21 points.

Both teams played out an even 28-28 first half, with neither the Falcons or Polars ever pulling ahead by more than five points. With 1:36 remaining in the first half, Johnson stole a pass and finished the fast break with a dunk to put UWRF ahead 28-23. Crown College closed out the first half with a three-pointer and layup to even the scoreline heading into the break.

In addition to the score being even in the first half, both teams shot exactly 12-35 (34.29%) from the field. Both teams struggled from three-point range in the first half, shooting under 20%. 

In the second half, a 7-2 run midway through put UWRF up 41-35 with 14:14 remaining in the game. Crown managed to close the gap, as a layup by Jacob Butler at the 7:19 ultimately proved to be UWRF's final lead of the game, 50-49. The Polars responded with an 11-4 run that saw the game tilt toward the visiting team with just over two minutes remaining, with Crown holding a 60-54 advantage. The Falcons came as close as five points in the final stretch, but Crown went 4-5 from the free-throw line in the final minute to finalize the game at 65-56.

UWRF finished 24-70 (34.3%) from the field. The Falcons out-rebounded the Polars 47-40 and held a 34-24 advantage in points in the paint.

In addition to Johnson's 21 points, Jack Leifker was UWRF's next highest scorer with 12. He also grabbed 11 rebounds, which tied a career high. Butler also totaled 11 rebounds, which set a new career best. 

Up next, the Falcons will head to Northfield, Minn. to face St. Olaf at 7 p.m. on Nov. 20.