SUPERIOR, Wis. – The UW-River Falls men's basketball team let a late lead slip away, falling 68-66 to Central College (Iowa) on Saturday night during the NBC Tip-Off Classic.

The Falcons controlled much of the second half, building to a 55-45 advantage with just under 10 minutes to play. Pinpoint shooting beyond the arc fueled the run as Reggie Postel knocked down back-to-back threes and Gavin Ralph added another to give UWRF its largest lead of the night.

Central slowly clawed back, connecting on shots from deep and capitalizing on Falcon turnovers in the closing minutes. Despite baskets from Jack Leifker late in the half the Dutch took the lead for good on a fastbreak layup with 22 seconds remaining.

Wanguhu led River Falls with 17 points, five assists, and four rebounds. Leifker followed with 13 points, while Ralph and Kyle Steinke each chipped in eight. Postel added nine points off the bench, and Micah Thompson lead with nine rebounds, and five points.

The Falcons shot 39 percent from the field and 33 percent from three while outscoring Central 32-24 in the paint.

UW-River Falls (0-1) will wrap up play at the UW-Superior Tournament Sunday afternoon against the host Yellowjackets at 2 p.m.