LA CROSSE, Wis. — The UW-River Falls lost its matchup at No. 10 UW-La Crosse, 77-56, in La Crosse, Wis. on Wednesday, January 22.
The loss, which came in UWRF's third consecutive game against top-25 opponents, dropped the Falcons' record to 7-10 overall and 1-5 in WIAC play. The Falcons battled back-and-forth with the lead in the first half, trailing by just 6 at the half, before the Eagles pulled away in the second.
The Falcons led the rebounding battle, out rebounding the Eagles by two.
Jack Leifker and
Micah Thompson each totaled 7 rebounds on the day.
In the first half, the Falcons jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, with
Jack Leifker scoring two baskets in the first two minutes. A jumper by
Regan Merritt gave the Falcons a 17-14 lead at the 10:16 mark. A pair of two-pointers by
Jeremy Wanguhu gave the Falcons their final lead of the game at 28-27 with 3:39 remaining in the first. The Eagles held the Falcons to two points in the final three minutes to lead 36-30 at the half.
To begin the second half, the Eagles quickly extended their lead by going on a 12-3 run before a
Micah Thompson layup cut the deficit to 13 at the 15:35 mark. The Eagles continued to keep their foot on the gas, leading by as much as 23 in the final minute. Fifteen turnovers for the Falcons was a key contributor to the loss, helped by a massive defensive performance by La Crosse's Dustin Derousseau, totaling six steals and two blocks in the win.
The Falcons shot 21-54 (38.9%) from the field.
Zac Johnson led the Falcons in scoring with 15 points. He has scored in double figures in 15 of 17 games this season. Behind him,
Jack Leifker totaled 10 points in the loss. Junior guard
Bennett Wright notched a career-high 2 steals, leading the way in that category.
Next up, UW-River Falls will stay on the road for another WIAC matchup on Jan. 25. The Falcons will face the Titans of UW-Oshkosh, with tip-off scheduled for 5 p.m.
