WHITEWATER, WIs.  — The UW-River Falls Men's Basketball team lost its WIAC opener at UW-Whitewater, 88-69, on Saturday, Jan. 4.

The Falcons managed to cut the Warhawks' lead down to six points midway through the second half, but UW-Whitewater pulled away to win by 19. The loss dropped UWRF's record on the season to 6-6 overall.

In the first half, an 18-3 run midway through the half helped UW-Whitewater pull ahead early. After falling behind 33-14, UWRF embarked on a 14-3 run of its own that trimmed the deficit back to single digits with under four minutes to go in the half. Micah Thompson scored seven points and the Falcons shot 41.4% from the field in the first half, as the Warhawks carried a 45-34 lead into the halftime break.

UW-Whitewater extended its lead to 57-44 with just over 16 minutes remaining in the game, before UW-River Falls went on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to six points with 14:07 to go. The Warhawks pulled back ahead by double digits with approximately 10 minutes remaining in regulation, before extending the lead to as large as 20 points. UWRF came as close as 15 down the stretch, but the Falcons ultimately fell by a final score of 88-69.

As a team, UWRF held a 32-28 advantage in points in the paint. The Falcons shot 26-61 (42.6%) from the field, but the Warhawks were also efficient from the field at 30-57 (52.6%).

Five Falcons scored nine or more points in tonight's game: Zac Johnson (14), Jacob Butler (12), Jack Leifker (10), Gavin Ralph (9), and Micah Thompson (9). Drew Adams led UWRF with a game-high seven rebounds.

Next up, UWRF is scheduled to return to Page Arena on Jan. 8 to host UW-Stout. The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m.