Falcons Win at UW-Eau Claire, 63-41
Wade Guerin recorded a double double with 12 points and 11 rebounds and Shane Manor added 14 points as the Falcons defeated the UW-Eau Claire Blugolds, 63-41, on Saturday night at Zorn Arena.
The victory extends the Falcons winning streak to four in-a-row as they continue to keep pace with UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater in the WIAC standings.
The Falcons got solid contributions from all five starters and played a great all-around basketball game.
"We had a great team effort tonight," said Falcon Coach Jeff Berkhof. "Defensively we were very solid and I thought we executed on the offensive end very well in the second half."
Manor led all scorers with 14 points to continue to make his case to be an All-American. Guerin proved to be too much to handle inside for the Blugolds as he owned the defensive glass with ten rebounds and recorded his fourth double double of the season. Ollie White finished the game 3-4 from the field with ten points and five rebounds. Aaron Anderson was lights out from three-point range as he drained 4-5 and finished with 12 points. Brian Kimble recorded a season-high ten rebounds and five points.
The Falcons battled through a close start the first half as both teams traded the lead throughout the first 12 minutes. Anderson's three-pointer with 6:28 to play gave the Falcons a six-point lead and they never looked back.
Coming out of halftime, UWRF led 28-21 and took control of the game. Arik Smith's three-pointer with 2:00 left in the game gave the Falcons a 63-27 and their largest lead of the game.
UWRF would go on to seal the 63-41 victory.
The Falcons shot 47.1 percent from the free-throw line and the Blugolds shot just 27.3 percent. Much of the troubles for UWEC came inside as the Falcons outscored the Blugolds 32-16 in the paint.
"Our focus tonight was very good and that's what we will need down the stretch in the next two weeks," said Berkhof.
With the victory, the Falcons improve to 16-5 overall and 10-2 in the WIAC. The Blugolds fall to 14-8 overall 6-7 in the WIAC.
The Falcons will return home on Wednesday, Feb. 8 for a rematch against UW-Superior at 7 p.m. The Yellowjackets won the first meeting 85-82 in Superior.
