MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The UW-River Falls men's basketball team erased a 13-point first-half deficit to defeat North Central 72-61 in Minneapolis, Minn. on Wednesday, Dec. 11.

The win improved UWRF's record to 4-3 on the season, and is the fourth win in the last five games played. Zac Johnson scored 13 of his game-high 18 points in the second half, as the Falcons outscored the Rams by 21 in the second half to spark the comeback victory.

UWRF struggled to slow down North Central in the first half, as the Rams shot 48.5% from the field and jumped out to a 15-3 advantage out of the gates. The Falcons managed to go on a run and cut the deficit to 17-14 with 7:13 remaining in the first, but the Rams answered back with a 9-2 run of their own that put the lead back at 26-16. UWRF went into halftime trailing 37-27, behind a 39.3% shooting percentage from the field. 

In the early stages of the second half, North Central extended its largest lead of the game, going up 42-29 with 18:26 remaining in regulation. The Falcons surged at this point and cut the lead to 44-39, but the Rams managed to hold a narrow lead through the first 10 minutes of the second half. 

The game saw its tipping point at the 9:26 mark of the second half, when Micah Thompson hit a layup to tie the game at 49-49. Both teams exchanged buckets in the following possessions, but UWRF took its first lead of the game and never looked back as a Gavin Ralph layup with 6:24 remaining put the Falcons up 55-53. The basket sparked a 7-0 run that put UWRF up 60-53 with 3:30 remaining. In the final stages of the game, the Falcons never let the Rams come any closer than four points, as the team pulled away to win 72-61. 

Zac Johnson shot 6-17 from the field to finish with 18 points, going along with seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Riley Ashburn (13) and Jeremy Wanguhu (11) both finished in double figures, while Gavin Ralph and Micah Thompson each finished with eight points. Ralph was also the team's leading rebounder with eight boards on the night. 

As a team, UWRF shot 27-59 (45.8%) from the field and held a 40-32 advantage in rebounding. The Falcons capitalized off 46 points in the paint and 37 bench points. 

Up next, the Falcons will conclude a three-game stretch of road games at Gustavus Adolphus on Dec. 14. The game is set to tip off at 3 p.m. in Saint Peter, Minn.