MENOMONIE, Wis. — The UW-River Falls Men's Basketball team lost in a high-scoring affair Wednesday night against UW-Stout, 82-81.
The loss dropped UW-River Falls record to 8-14 overall and 2-9 in WIAC play. Eighty one points was the second-most points scored by the Falcons this season, but the 82 points scored by the Blue Devils was also the second-most points allowed this season. The trio of Jack Leifker, Zac Johnson, and Drew Adams combined for 50 points on the night, all notching double figure scoring in the loss.
The Falcons started the game strong, jumping out to an 8-0 lead in the first three minutes. The Blue Devils managed to take the lead a few times throughout the first half, but the Falcons were able to hold the lead for 17:25 of game action. After being tied at 13 a-piece, the Falcons went on a strong 8-2 run, leading 21-14 midway through the half. A rally of Jack Leifker free throws made it 23-17 with 9:28 left in the first. Leifker finished the half with nine points, including a perfect 5-5 from the free-throw line.
A Zac Johnson three-pointer gave the Falcons their largest lead of the night at 32-24. The Blue Devils stormed back, holding the Falcons to four points over the following four minutes to tie the game at 36-36 with 2:43 left in the half. A jumper by Zac Johnson gave the Falcons a one-point lead going into the half, 43-42. Forty three points was the Falcons' highest first-half scoring total of the season. Johnson finished with seven points at the half, while Drew Adams finished with nine, going 2-3 from three-point range.
The second half began with two quick buckets from Jeremy Wanguhu, who finished with eight points and two blocks in the game. One minute later, a Gavin Ralph three-pointer gave the Falcons a 50-46 lead, their largest lead of the second half. Both teams began to trade leads as the scoring began to slow down on both sides. A three-pointer from Regan Merritt at 12:03 preceded a four minute drought without a field goal for the Falcons. The Falcons were able to maintain their lead when Zac Johnson ended the drought, making a layup to make it 64-63 with 8:29 remaining.
The Blue Devils led by as much as six with 4:08 left in the game, but the Falcons kept fighting. A huge 9-0 run gave the Falcons a three point lead with 1:44 remaining, highlighted by key plays from Regan Merritt. However, two scores by UW-Stout's Jacob Walczak, including a jump shot with 43 seconds left, sealed the win for the Blue Devils.
Up next, the Falcons will return to Page Arena to host UW-Whitewater at 5 p.m. on Feb. 15. UWRF will host Senior Night, celebrating its graduating class of student-athletes. The game is part of a double-header, in which the women's basketball team will play against the Warhawks at 3 p.m. as well — tickets can be purchased here.
