NORTHFIELD, Minn. — The UW-River Falls men's basketball team lost a close road matchup at Carleton, falling 72-67 in Northfield, Minn. on Saturday, November 30.
The final six minutes saw a back-and-forth affair, as Carleton and UW-River Falls played down to the wire. The Falcons led for over 70% of the game, but the Knights stayed within reach and ultimately managed to pull away late in the game.
The Falcons dominated in the low post, holding a 48-34 advantage in points in the paint, while a 6-14 (42.9%) team shooting mark from beyond the arc helped Carleton in the victory. Both teams shot 49% from the field as a team.
The Falcons got off to a fast start out of the gates, building up a 7-2 lead in the first 2:07 of regulation. The Knights got back into contention cutting the lead to 9-8, before UWRF rattled off a 11-2 run that saw the Falcons build a 20-10 advantage at the 12:04 mark in the first half.
The Knights flipped the switch midway through the first half, as Carleton embarked on a 14-2 run that put the Falcons behind 24-22 with 6:40 remaining in the half. Both teams exchanged the lead back-and-forth in the remainder of the half, as a layup by Jack Leifker right before the buzzer put the Falcons up 34-31 at halftime. Liefker led UWRF with 12 points and eight rebounds in the first half, while Regan Merritt added eight points.
The start of the second half was neck-and-neck, before UWRF extended its lead to 49-42 with 13:49 remaining. The Falcons built their largest lead of the game with 10:46 to go, as Zac Johnson's layup put the Falcons up 57-47. Carleton responded with a 15-4 run that put the Knights up 62-61 with 5:08 remaining, marking Carleton's first lead since late in the first half.
After falling behind by three points, UWRF trimmed the deficit to 66-65 with 2:42 remaining, behind a layup from Johnson. After Carleton scored on a driving layup, another jumper by Johnson put the Falcons within one point (68-67) with 49 seconds remaining. The Knights went 4-4 at the free-throw line in the following two possessions, as UWRF was unable to retake the lead and fell by a score of 72-67.
UWRF shot 29-59 (49.2%) from the field as a team in the loss, while Carleton shot 27-55 (49.1%). Leifker finished with a team-high 19 points, while Johnson finished with 15 and Merritt totaled 10. Micah Thompson totaled eight points and six rebounds, while Johnson was effective with five assists and four rebounds.
Up next, UWRF will play its second of three consecutive road games. The Falcons will travel to the Twin Cities, facing North Central at 7 p.m. on Dec. 11.
