Falcon Sports Archive

Highshaw Jumper Helps Platteville Upset Falcon Men

Feb. 17, 2001

George Highshaw, who shot a perfect 3-of-3 on the night, drained a 14-foor jumper with 7.3 seconds left to help UW-Platteville (14-10, 7-9) upset UW-River Falls (14-10, 9-7) 65-64 Saturday evening at Karges Center on the final night of the WIAC regular season.

The Falcons' Kent Becker, attempting to penetrate to the basket for the game-winner, slipped in the closing seconds and was unable to release a high-percentage shot.

UW-RF, which led 32-28 at halftime and led by as much as 11 in the second half, owned an eight-point lead with 2-minutes, 59-seconds left in the contest, but were outscored 9-0 the rest of the way.

Pat Ptacek netted a game-high 24 points for the Falcons on 10-of-13 shooting from the floor. Brian Mathison added 12.

Beau Buchs and Brad Stangel paced the Pioneers with 15 points each. Tyler Selk pitched in 12.

The Falcons hit 27-of-45 (.600) field goals, while UW-P hit 26-of-50 (.520). Both teams collected 23 rebounds.

Edmund Johnson and Ptacek both snared seven rebounds, while Kevin Becker dished out a game-high six assists.

The Falcons will return to action Tuesday, when they host a yet-to-be-named opponent in the first round of the WIAC Tournament.

Falcons Gunned Down By Pointer Bombs

Feb. 14, 2001

Three-pointers turned out to be the difference in UW-River Falls' 75-72 WIAC setback to UW-Stevens Point Wednesday evening at Karges Center.

The Pointers (17-6, 9-6), whose first 18 points came via 3-pointers, shot 15-of-27 (.577) from 3-point territory in the game, while the Falcons' (14-9, 9-6) Kent Becker, who scored a game-high 27 points, missed a potential game-tying trey in the final second of the game.

After Wednesday's games, the Pointers, Falcons, UW-Eau Claire and UW-Whitewater are all tied for first place in the league with identical 9-6 conference marks.

UW-RF trailed by as much as 16 points in the second stanza, but outscored UW-SP 14-5 over the last six minutes of the game to keep the fans on the edge of their seats.

UW-SP carried a 46-34 lead into intermission behind the strength of 10 first-half 3-pointers.

Brent Larson led the Pointers' 3-point barrage with a four for eight performance, while Jay Bennett and Josh Iserloth nailed three bombs apiece. Kalonji Kadima and Neal Krajnik added two each.

Becker, who shot 9-of-14 from the field, canned 4-of-9 3-pointers, including one from the top of the key with under 10 seconds to go to cut the Pointers' lead to one.

Edmund Johnson pitched in 16 points for the Falcons and Rich Melzer added 13.

Larson paced UW-SP with 14 points. Iserloth added 11 and Kalonji 10.

UW-RF will return to action Saturday when it hosts UW-Platteville in a WIAC tilt scheduled to commence at 7 p.m. at Karges Center.

Falcons Top Stout, 95-90

Feb. 7, 2001

Rich Melzer scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Falcons to a 95-90 win over UW-Stout Wednesday night at the Karges Center.

The Falcons, now 14-7 overall and 9-4 in the WIAC, remain in first place in the WIAC with the win.

Melzer was 12-19 from the field and 6-7 from the line. He also hed the team with 11 rebounds and four blocked shots coming off the bench. Kent Becker added 19 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals for the Falcons, which led 53-36 at the half. Brian Mathison scored 14 points and Pat Ptacek added 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Falcons shot 30-55 (.545) from the field and 28-40 (.700) from the line. The Falcons finished with 42 rebounds.

Stout was led by Pat Von Veldt who scored 20 points and Aaron Vachowick who added 16. Stout shot 30-77 (.390) from the field and 19-23 (.826) from the line. Stout finished with 35 rebounds.

UWRF held two 16-point leads in the second half. Stout cut the lead to one (86-85) with 1:02 to play. But Becker made 7-8 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Saturday the Falcons play another WIAC game, at UW-Eau Claire, with tip off set for 7 p.m.

Falcons Win at La Crosse, 65-61; Bowen Gets 200th Win

Feb. 3, 2001

Edmund Johnson scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help lead the Falcons to a 65-61 win at UW-La Crosse Saturday night. The win keeps the Falcons in first place in the WIAC and gave Coach Rick Bowen his 200th career win.

The Falcons, now 8-4 in WIAC play and 13-7 overall, led 37-35 at the half. UWLC took a 61-60 lead when Ben Bemis scored a basket with 1:36 to play. But with one minute to go Brian Mathison hit two free throws to give the Falcons the lead for good. Kevin Becker hit 1-2 free throws with :16 to play and Johnson went 2-2 from the line with :03 to go to ice the win.

Kent Becker added 15 points for the Falcons. Rich Melzer scored 13 points. The Falcons shot 26-50 (.520) from the field and just 9-18 (.500 ) from the line. UWLC was 25-51 (.490) from the field and just 2-4 (.500) from the line.

Eddie Hebert led UWLC with 20 points and seven rebounds.

Bowen has a 200-183 career record at UWRF. He is in his 15th season with the Falcons.

Wednesday the Falcons host UW-Stout at 7 p.m. at the Karges Center in another WIAC game.

Falcons Fall to Superior, Remain in First Place

Jan. 31, 2001

Rich Melzer's buzzer-beating 3-point try just missed its mark, and the UW-River Falls men's basketball team suffered a 69-66 WIAC setback to UW-Superior Wednesday evening at Karges Center.

The Falcons (12-7, 7-4) maintained its sole possession of the league's top spot, however, as second-place UW-Whitewater lost to UW-Platteville.

River Falls, which held a 26-23 advantage at intermission, led the Yellowjackets (14-5, 7-5) by as much as eight points in the second half, but also trailed by the same count before attempting a furious comeback in the closing minutes.

Kent Becker paced the Falcons with a game-high 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, including a 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds remaining on the clock to draw the Falcons to within 67-66, and 7-of-8 shooting from the charity stripe.

Edmund Johnson and Melzer pitched in 14 points each.

Cody Kastern led Superior with 19 points, while Vince Thomas and Brandon Vesel added 14 points apiece.

The Falcons outrebounded the Yellowjackets 42-27.

River Falls will return to action Saturday, when it travels to UW-La Crosse for a WIAC tilt. Opening tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.

Falcons Win at Whitewater, 71-70

Jan. 27, 2001

Matt Kukla hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Falcons to a 71-70 win at UW-Whitewater Saturday night.

Whitewater took a 70-68 lead with just seven seconds to play when Aubrey Lewis-Byers hit two free throws.That set up Kukla's game-winner and improve the team's record to 7-3 in WIAC play and 12-6 overall. The win puts the Falcons alone in first place in the WIAC.

Edmund Johnson led the Falcons in scoring with 16 points and in rebounding with nine. Kent Becker scored 15 points and had four rebounds and seven assists. Kukla, who was 2-6 from three-point range, finished wtih 12 points and four assists. Pat Ptacek scored 10 points. The Falcons, who trailed 34-32 at the half, shot 27-48 (.563) from the field and 13-16 (.813) from the line.

Whitewater was led by Lewis-Byers who scored 24 points. Robert Smith scored 12 points and led his team with seven rebounds. The Warhwawks were 28-55 (.509) from the field and 8-10 (.800) from the line. The Falcons held a slight, 27-25, advantage in rebounds.

Wednesday the Falcons host UW-Superior at 7 p.m. at the Karges Center.

Falcons Lose at Oshkosh, 89-60

Jan. 20, 2001

The Falcons dropped an 89-60 decision at UW-Oshkosh Saturday afternoon to dropped their WIAC record to 6-3 and go 11-6 overall.

The Falcons trailed by just 36-34 at the half, but were outscored 53-26 in the second half.

Rich Melzer led the Falcons with 14 points and he had four rebounds. Pat Ptacek was the only other Falcon to score in double figures with 11. The Falcons shot 20-49 (.408) for the game from the field and 16-19 (.842) from the line.

Oshkosh had five players score in double figures led by Justin Kamps with 25. Tom Dworak scored 17 points and had a game-high 13 rebounds. Oshkosh shot 34-60 (.567) from the field and 10-13 (.769) from the line. Oshkosh had a 35-24 advantage in rebounds.

The Falcons will next play at UW-Whitewater on Saturday, Jan. 27. Game time is 7 p.m.

Falcons Get 82-67 Win at UW-Platteville

Jan. 17, 2001

Brian Mathison scored a season-high 23 points to help lead the Falcons to an 82-67 win at UW-Platteville Wednesday night to keep UWRF in first place in the WIAC.

The Falcons, now 11-5 overall, trailed 38-37 at halftime. Mathison finished 9-12 from the field and 3-4 from three point range. He was 2-3 from the line. He also had four assists. Pat Ptacek, Edmund Johnson and Shawn Timm all scored 15 points. Johnson led all rebounders with 11. The Falcons shot 28-49 (.571) from the field and 18-20 (.900) from the line. The Falcons outscored the Pioneers by 45-29 in the second half.

UWP was led by Deau Buchs who scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. UWP shot 24-57 (.421) from the field and 12-17 (.706) from the line.

Saturday the Falcons are on the road again at UW-Oshkosh. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.

Falcons Beat UWEC, 73-65

Jan. 13, 2001

The Falcons got 20 points from Rich Melzer as they topped UW-Eau Claire, 73-65 to remain in first place in the WIAC.

The Falcons, now 10-5 overall and 5-2 in the WIAC, were tied with UWEC and UW-Stevens Point going into Saturday's games. UWSP got beat by UW-Oshkosh (85-76) which gives the Falcons first place all by themselves near the halfway point of the WIAC season.

Melzer scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds in the win. Kent Becker added 16 points and five rebounds. Brian Mathison scored 10 points and had five rebounds. Shawn Timm scored 10 points to help the Falcons cause. UWRF shot 25-47 (.532) from the field and 19-24 (.792) from the line. They had 38 rebounds.

UWEC was led by Jason Larson who scored 27 points. UWEC was 21-63 (.333) from the field and 14-18 (.778) from the line.

The Falcons will next travel to UW-Platteville on Wednesday. Game time is 7 p.m.

Falcons Fall at Stevens Point, 74-59

Jan. 10, 2001

The Falcons jumped out to a 10-point lead at the half, but lost a 74-59 decision at UW-Stevens Point Wednesday night.

The Falcons led 33-23 at the half, but were outscored 51-26 in the second half. SP went on a 20-5 run to start the second half.

Rich Melzer led the Falcons with 14 points and four rebounds. Kent Becker added 13 points, four rebounds and five assists. Pat Ptacek scored 10 points. The Falcons shot 23-50 (.460) from the field and just 5-13 (.385) from the line.

Both the Falcons and Pointers are now tied for the WIAC lead with 4-2 records. The Falcons are 9-5 overall and UWSP is 12-2.

Saturday the Falcons host UW-Eau Claire at the Karges Center in a WIAC game that will start at 7 p.m.

Falcons Beat La Crosse, 75-65

Jan. 6, 2001

Kent Becker scored 24 points to help the Falcons win, 75-65, over UW-La Crosse in a WIAC game Saturday night at the Karges Center.

The Falcons held a slim 35-34 lead at the half. Edmund Johnson added 16 points and Rich Melzer scored 13 for the Falcons. Melzer led the Falcons with nine rebounds and three assists. The Falcons shot 28-52 (.538) from the field but just 15-24 (.625) from the line.

La Crosse was led by Scott Meerstein who scored 16 points and Eddie Hebert who added 12.

Wednesday the Falcons, now 4-1 in the WIAC and 9-4 overall, are in action again when they are at UW-Stevens Point for a 7 p.m. WIAC game. The Falcons are in first place in the WIAC going into Wednesday's game.

Falcons Win at Stout, 77-74

Jan. 3, 2001

The Falcons came up with a big second half to win at Stout, 77-74, Wednesday night in Meenomonie.

The Falcons trailed, 40-34, at halftime. But the Falcons outscored Stout, 43-34, in the second half to get the win.

Shawn Timm led the Falcons with 15 points. Kent Becker and Edmund Johnson each scored 14. Rich Melzer added 11 points. Johnson and Melzer each had five rebounds.

Saturday the Falcons return to Karges Center and will host UW-La Crosse. Game time is 7 p.m.

Melzer's 21 Points Leads Falcons to Win

Dec.30, 2000

Rich Melzer scored a team-high 21 points and the Falcons beat Dana College, 90-69 Saturday night at the Karges Center.

Melzer was one of four Falcons who scored in double figures. Kent Becker addded 17 points and eight rebounds. Pat Ptacek and Edmund Johnson each scored 11. Everyone who played for the Falcons scored and the Falcons hit the 90 point mark for the first time this year. Johnson led the Falcons with nine rebounds.

Michael Johnson led Dana with 23 points and eight rebounds. The Falcons held a 45-26 lead at the half. UWRF shot .500 from the field (30-60) and were 28-36 from the line (.778). The Falcons had a 42-35 rebound advantage.

Wednesday the Falcons travel to UW-Stout for a WIAC game that starts at 7 p.m.

Mary University Is Hot From Field; Gets Win Over Falcons

Dec. 29, 2000

The Falcons put together a strong effort, but it wasn't enough as Mary University took a 91-85 win Friday night at the Karges Center.

Mary held a 42-32 lead at the half. The Falcons got to within three points late in the second half, but Mary was abel to hit free throws down the stretch to get the win and raise their record to 9-3.

The Falcons, now 6-4, were led by Brian Mathison with 20 points. Edmund Johnson scored 16, Kent Becker 13 and Rich Melzer 12. Mathison led the Falcons with six rebounds, but the Falcons were outrebounded by 32-23 in the game. Mary hit 11-16 three-pointers in the game. Doug Wick, who was 6-8 from three-point range, led the Mauraders with 18 points. He was one of six Mary players to score in double figures. Mary shot .604 (32-53) for the game and the Falcons hit on .516 (33-64).

Saturday the Falcons host Dana College at 7 p.m. at the Karges Center.

Falcons Down Superior On Road

Dec. 13, 2000

In a contest which was close for the majority of its duration, UW-River Falls pulled away late to score a 76-64 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference road win over UW-Superior Wednesday evening.

The Falcons (6-3, 2-1), who held a slim 35-34 lead heading into the break, pulled out the win despited being outrebounded 47-30.

Shawn Timm buried 5-of-8 3-point attempts and paced UW-RF with 20 points. Kent Becker, who was 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, added 18 and Rich Melzer pitched in 13.

Tony Peterson led the Yellowjackets with 14 points. Jason Strilzuk added 12, Brett Gunderson 10 and Brandon Vesel 10.

Superior's Alin Andre and Peterson tied for game-high rebounding honors with 13 each.

Becker dished off a game-high eight assists and also collected four steals.

UW-RF shot .538 (28-of-52), while Superior shot .354 (23-of-65). Superior committed 17 turnovers to the Falcons' 13.

The Falcons will return to action Dec. 29, when they begin play at their own Cenex Tourney.

Becker Helps Lift Men's Hoopsters Over Whitewater

Dec. 2, 2000

UW-River Falls junior Kent Becker put on quite a show Saturday, as the Falcons overcame an early deficit to upend UW-Whitewater 71-67 in their Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener at the Karges Center.

Becker, who scored UW-RF's first and last points in the victory, netted game-high scoring honors with 33 points, while snagging four boards, dishing out three assists and collecting two steals. Becker shot 8-of-15 from the field, including 3-of-5 accuracy from 3-point land, and 14-of-15 from the charity stripe.

Becker also nailed a 35-foot buzzer beater at the end of the first half to give the Falcons a 27-24 at intermission.

The Falcons, who tallied only four points in the game's first 10 minutes, 15-4 with nine minutes left before the break, but put together an 18-5 run to take their first lead of the game at 22-20 with 1:35 left in the half on a trey courtesy of senior Shawn Timm.

With 17:36 to go in the game, Warhawk sophomore Aubrey Lewis-Byers hit a jumper to put Whitewater up 32-31, but 34 seconds later, Becker drained a trey to give the Falcons a lead they would never relinquish.

Senior Pat Ptacek complemented Becker's scoring barrage with 12 points, while freshman Rich Melzer pitched in eight. Junior Edmund Johnson pulled down a game-high 12 boards, 10 on the defensive end, for the Falcons, while sophomore Brian Mathison led the team with four dishes.

Junior Jake Wolter led Whitewater with 19 points, 15 from beyond the arc, and Lewis-Byers totaled 17 points, 10 under his season average.

The Falcons shot .434 from the field, .519 in the second half, just over the Warhawks' 42.9 percent accuracy rate.

UW-RF will return to action Tuesday when it travels to Northwestern (Minn.) for a non-conference contest slated to begin at 7 p.m.

Cagers Tune Pipers

Nov. 29, 2000

Behind the red-hot shooting of senior Pat Ptacek and fancy passing of sophomore Scott DeWyre, UW-River Falls coasted to a 73-54 non-conference victory over Hamline (Minn.) University Wednesday evening in the Karges Center.

Ptacek, who bottomed 8-of-9 field goals and 7-of-9 charity shots, paced the Falcon attack with 23 points, while DeWyre dished off six assists in the 19-point victory.

UW-RF improved its season mark to 4-1, while Hamline fell to 0-4.

The Pipers kept things close for the majority of the opening half, trailing only 24-22 with 6-minutes, 17-seconds remaining before intermission, but, sparked by a senior Shawn Timm trey, UW-RF capped the half with a 15-4 run to take a 39-26 lead into the break.

Juniors Kent Becker and Edmund Johnson complemented Ptacek's scoring output with 11 points each, while sophomore Brian Mathison pitched in eight.

Junior Jeff Cambell led the Pipers with 13 points.

Sophomore Steve Barnier pulled down a team-high seven caroms for UW-RF, while freshman Rich Melzer swatted two shots. DeWyre and Mathison collected four steals apiece.

The Falcons fired at a .491 clip from the field, compared to Hamline's 37.5 percent accuracy rate.

UW-RF will return to action Saturday, when they kick off their Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schedule by hosting UW-Whitewater at the Karges Center. Opening tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.

Mustangs Buck Men's Hoopsters

Nov. 25, 2000

If Southwest State (Minn.) was the Roadrunner, UW-River Falls was Wile E. Coyote.

The Falcons spend most of Saturday evening trying to play catch-up basketball, but never quite caught up, as they dropped an 81-73 decisions to the Mustangs in a non-conference tilt contested in the Karges Center.

In losing, UW-RF (3-1) suffered its first setback of the 2000 campaign, while Southwest State improved to 3-4.

Southwest State started the game with a 16-4 run and led by as much as 17 in the opening half, but the Falcons managed to seize a 34-32 lead by intermission.

The Mustangs, however, outscored UW-RF 16-3 in the first 4 minutes, 23 seconds, of the second half and then fended off the chasing Falcons to victory.

Southwest State's Scott Koenen recorded game-high scoring honors with 30 points, while Jared Miller tossed in 17 points and Chad Koenen contributed 16.

Rich Melzer paced the Falcons with a team-high 16 points, while Shawn Timm added 15. Kent Becker and Edmund Johnson also reached double figures in scoring with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Mustangs' Scott Koenen, Chad Koenen and Josh Pruesse, along with UW-RF's Melzer and Johnson tied for game-high rebound numbers with eight each.

Becker dished out six assists for the Falcons and also grabbed four steals.

UW-RF will return to action Wednesday, when it hosts Hamline (Minn.) University in a non-conference game scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the Karges Center.

Falcons Make Quick Work of St. Olaf

Nov. 21, 2000

St. Olaf didn't provide much of a challenge for Rick Bowen's UW-River Falls men's hoops squad Tuesday, as the Falcons smoked St. Olaf 70-57 on the road.

Rich Melzer and Shawn Timm poured in 22 points each to lead all scorers, while Kent Becker added 14.Matthew Hofkens paced St. Olaf with 20 points. Timm shot 6-of-12 from 3-point land.

Melzer hauled in eight boards and Becker recorded five assists for UW-RF.

The Falcons shot .463 from the floor, while St. Olaf hit only 39.6 percent of its field goal attempts.

UW-RF will return to action Saturday, when it hosts Southwest State in a non-conference affair to begin at 7 p.m. in the Karges Center.

Falcons Win Twice in Texas

Nov. 19, 2000

The Falcons opened their 2000-2001 season in style winning twice at the Southwestern University Classic held in Georgetown, Texas on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday the Falcons topped Austin College, 81-59 and Sunday the Falcons beat Southwestern, 64-41.

In Saturday's win, the Falcons trailed at the half, 35-34, but dominated the second half, 47-24. Rich Melzer led the Falcons with 20 points and he had eight rebounds. Kent Becker scored 17 points and led the team with nine rebounds and six assists. Scott DeWyre scored 14 points and Pat Ptacek scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

In Sunday's win, the Falcons held a 36-15 lead at the half. DeWyre was the only Falcon to score in double figures with 10. Shawn Timm scored eight points while Melzer and Tim Duncan added seven each. Melzer and Edmund Johnson each had seven rebounds.

The Falcons next play at St. Olaf on Tuesday with game time set for 7 p.m.