UW River Falls forward Brennan Witt leaps toward the basket for a rebound. St. Thomas took on UW River Falls Tuesday night in St. Paul. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
UW-River Falls forward Alex Herink throws the ball into play. St. Thomas lost 65-74 Tuesday night. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
St. Thomas forward Jordan Burich goes after UW River Falls guard Matt Keller as he passes the ball. The Tommies will take on Pacific Lutheran on Friday, Nov. 18. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
UW River Falls forward Garret Pearson dribbles the ball. The Tommies were trailing behind UW River Falls by just five points near the end of the second half. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
UW River Falls guard Devin Buckley tightens his fists after a call. UW River Falls will play at the UW-Stout Classic Friday and Saturday. (Carlee Hackl/TommieMedia)
Devin Buckley scored 29 points to lead Wisconsin-River Falls to a 74-65 win over the tenth-ranked St. Thomas men’s basketball team Tuesday evening at Schoenecker Arena.
The Falcons jumped on the Tommies early in the game.
With a 12-8 lead close to 14 minutes remaining in the first half, the Falcons went on a 24-7 run over the next six minutes capped by a three-point play by Buckley.
After a Falcon missed shot, Buckley was able to gain possession of the loose ball, drive into the lane and make the layup while getting fouled by Tommie forward JT Johnson. Buckley made the free throw, stretching the lead to 36-15.
“River Falls did a great job in the first half,” St. Thomas coach John Tauer said. “They shot the ball really well, and we didn’t.”
The Falcons led at halftime 45-22 and up by 25 after scoring the first points of the second half.
The Tommies were not finished, however, battling back for much of the second half, getting the River Falls lead down to five at 63-58 with about six minutes to go. The comeback was thanks in large part to forward Jordan Burich, who had a two minute stretch where he had a dunk and a steal and drew a charge.
“I thought Jordan was phenomenal tonight,” Tauer said. “He’s a senior who has worked really hard, and we’re excited to see him succeed and have a great season.”
The Tommies kept the Falcons in striking distance until the final moments.
With River Falls leading 70-65 with 39 seconds left, guard Grant Shaeffer drove into the lane, looking to make it a one score game but was called for an offensive foul.
Buckley then proceeded to make four key free throws for the Falcons to secure the 74-65 win.
Guard Michael Hannon finished as the leading scorer for the Tommies with 18 points off the bench.
Burich and Shaeffer were the only other Tommies in double figures with 14 and 10 points respectively.
“I’m pleased about how we played in the second half but also disappointed how we came out in the first half,” Tauer said. “You play good teams in the non-conference to learn about yourself and we will certainly talk a lot away from this game.”
St. Thomas’ next game will be Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. against Pacific Lutheran in Tacoma, Washington as part of the Doug McArthur Classic.
Taylor Smith can be reached at smit9660@stthomas.edu.