RIVER FALLS, Wis. — The UW-River Falls Men's Basketball team held its own in a tight matchup against the nation's top-ranked Division III men's basketball team on Saturday evening at Page Arena. The Falcons fell to the No. 1 Pioneers of UW-Platteville by a final score of 75-66.
The Falcons were efficient shooting the ball, tallying the team's fifth best field goal percentage of the season and highest three-point clip of the year. The loss dropped UWRF's record on the season to 7-9 overall and 1-4 in WIAC play.
The game started off with a back-and-forth flurry of buckets, as a three-pointer by Drew Adams put UWRF up 13-11 with 13:21 remaining in the first half. The Falcons led by as much as three points in the first half, before UW-Platteville built a slight edge leading into the halftime break.
The Pioneers led by as much as nine points in the first half, but the Falcons stayed within striking distance as Zac Johnson scored 15 of his 25 points in the first 20 minutes. UW-Platteville went on a 7-2 run late in the half, but a three-pointer by Johnson at the buzzer kept UWRF within six points at halftime, as the Pioneers led 35-29.
After UW-Platteville pushed its lead to eight points early in the second frame, the Falcons cut the deficit to 42-39 with 15:16 remaining in regulation, as Johnson and Jack Leifker hit back-to-back baskets. Leifker excelled for UWRF in the second half, scoring 14 of his 19 points.
The Pioneers once again pushed back ahead by three possessions, before several big shots by the Falcons kept the game close — Mason Anderson, who made two from long range tonight, nailed a three-pointer just before the 10-minute mark that cut the lead to 49-44 and gained momentum for UWRF.
The Falcons kept the Pioneers within single digits through the entire second-half stretch, as a 7-1 run by UWRF brought the Falcons to within a 53-51 deficit with 6:26 remaining.
Both teams exchanged a flurry of buckets down the stretch, including an and-one jump shot by Regan Merritt at the 4:50 mark that brought the game to one possession (57-54). UW-River Falls kept the game within three points with just under four minutes to go, before the Pioneers embarked on a 12-2 run that saw the game slip away to a 73-63 UW-Platteville advantage with 30 seconds left in the game. The Falcons were ultimately unable to make up any further ground, falling 75-66 at the final buzzer.
As a team, the Falcons shot 22-50 (44%) from the field and 8-17 (47.1%) from three-point range. Johnson finished with a game-high 25 points off 10-17 shooting, along with six rebounds, two assists and one block. Leifker concluded the game with 19 points and a game-high eight rebounds — he went 7-8 at the free-throw line.
Up next, the Falcons will hit the road for back-to-back road games next week. UWRF will face UW-La Crosse at 7 p.m. on Jan. 22 and UW-Oshkosh at 5 p.m. on Jan. 25.
