RIVER FALLS, Wis. — The UW-River Falls Men's Basketball team lost against UW-Eau Claire, 71-58, at Page Arena on Wednesday, January 29.
The loss marked UWRF's fifth consecutive loss, all against conference opponents, sending the Falcons to 7-12 overall and 1-7 in WIAC action. UW-Eau Claire led for a majority of the game, although the Falcons were able to pull within single digits with 8:12 remaining in the second half. A flurry of Blugold threes helped put the game out of reach in the final minutes. The loss brought the season series between UW-River Falls and UW-Eau Claire to 1-1, with the Falcons only conference win coming against the Blugolds on the road in a 67-65 contest on Jan. 11.
The Falcons narrowly outscored the Blugolds in the second half, 35-34, helped by Zac Johnson, who scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half. Johnson also contributed four assists in the loss.
To start the game, senior Mateo Renta got his third start of the season, notably matching up against brother Andre Renta, a junior transfer from St. Cloud State. The duo played together for Hudson High School before their collegiate careers.
The Falcons kept things close early, with a
Micah Thompson tip-in layup making it 12-9 Falcons four minutes into the game. The Blugolds then went on a 10-0 run, culminating in a Carter Huschka layup that gave the Blugolds a 19-12 lead at the 10:47 mark in the first half. The Falcons responded with a few defensive stops and a
Jacob Butler three-pointer to cut the lead back down to two. The Blugolds responded with a 16-4 run in the final seven minutes to take a 37-23 lead in the half.
Drew Adams led the team with eight points at the break.
Regan Merritt finished with a positive plus-minus in the first half, highlighting his key effort plays prior to the Blugolds 16-4 run.
The second half saw the Falcons up the intensity, with a few quick buckets, including a
Zac Johnson dunk sparking some excitement into the crowd. A three-pointer by
Mateo Renta pushed the Blugolds lead to 20 with 14:47 remaining before the Falcons began to battle back. Back-to-back three-point makes by
Jacob Butler highlighted a 15-4 run for the Falcons that trimmed the lead down to nine, but the Blugolds quickly bounced back with a quick 8-0 run of their own. The Falcons kept things even in the remaining six minutes, but the duo of Carter Huschka and Andre Renta proved to be too much.
Huschka, the second-leading scorer in the conference, finished with a game-high 24 points and eight rebounds, while Renta, the leading passer in the conference, compiled 19 points and six assists, including 4-5 shooting from the three-point arc.
The Falcons shot 21-57 (36.8%) from the field and 9-28 (32.1%) from three-point range, setting season-highs in three-point makes and attempts. The Falcons also had only six turnovers, their lowest turnover count since late November.
Drew Adams, a senior transfer from Winona State, finished with 12 points, his highest total as a Falcon.
Jacob Butler finished with nine points, coming off of three 3-pointers on six attempts, tying his career-high from behind the arc.
The Falcons forced nine turnovers, six of which came from steals;
Gavin Ralph and
Mateo Renta each totaled two a piece. The team also totaled four blocks. The Falcons led the Blugolds in both defensive categories.
Next up, the Falcons will hit the road to face UW-Stevens Point on Feb. 5. The WIAC matchup is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
