They say that good things come in threes, and for UW-River Falls, that was the case on Wednesday night at Mertz Mortorelli Gym. In the second half, anyway.

The Falcons shot 4-of-10 from three point range in the second half, none bigger than Zach Peterson's shot with 57 seconds left in regulation that provided the winning margin as UW-River Falls rallied for a 72-69 win over the Yellowjackets.

With the score deadlocked at 69-69 UW-River Falls called a timeout and on the ensuing play, Peterson was left wide open and hit the shot that completed the comeback and gave them a crucial conference win.

The shooting was cold early with each team missing numerous shots and it was a 4-4 game nearly as the first five minutes elapsed. The teams traded baskets and after an Arik Smith three, the Falcons opened up a five-point lead, 14-9.

The Yellowjackets quickly erased the deficit, as Jarrod Peterson (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) hit a three and a few seconds later a free throw before Bronson Byrne (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) made a layup to give the Yellowjackets a one-point lead. Later, Brendan Bauer (Eleva, Wis./Gilmanton) and Trent Davis (Apple Valley, Minn./St. Bernard's) hit key three pointers as the Yellowjackets pulled ahead 23-18.

With 5:56 to play in the first half, Austin Cahil (Phoenix, Ariz./St. Mary's), who has been on fire coming off the bench added still another three to push the lead to seven at 32-25.

As the first half rolled on the Yellowjackets continued to shoot well. In the final minute Bauer connected on a free throw and the Yellowjackets found themselves on top 42-29 at the half.

The Yellowjackets were rock solid in the first half, shooting 50% (14-of-28) overall and hitting 7-of-10 from outside the arc. The Yellowjackets also held the edge on the boards, 23-17.

Early in the second half Davis hit another three to give the Yellowjackets a 14-point edge, their largest of the game, at 45-31. From there, however, the Falcons began to chip away at the deficit.

The teams traded baskets and with 12:02 to play, Walter Charlton (Nassau, Bahamas/Teleos Christian) drained a pair of free throws to make it 55-45. The Yellowjackets would then go scoreless for the next three minutes and the Falcons closed the gap to 55-51. After a pair of successful Peterson free throws, the Falcons hit a three and a pair of free throws of their own and the Yellowjacket lead was shaved to 57-54.

With the Yellowjackets up 66-60, Smith took over for UW-River Falls. Smith hit a three, sank a pair of free throws and made a couple of layups to tie the game at 69-69 with 2:16 to play and setting the stage for Peterson's winning shot.

After Peterson's three, the Yellowjackets called a timeout with 20 seconds left to map out the play they hoped would tie the game and send the teams to overtime. As time ticked down the Yellowjackets got the ball in the hands of their top scorer, Jarrod Peterson, but the night's Falcon hero, Zach Peterson blocked the three-point attempt and gave the Falcons the victory.

Peterson and Byrne paced the Yellowjackets with 16 points apiece, while Cahil added 14 off the bench. Davis led the Yellowjackets with five assists and Aaron Corry (Lake Nebagamon, Wis./Northwestern) had a team-best ten rebounds.

Smith scored a game high 25 points to lead the Falcons. He also had seven rebounds and five assists on the night.

The Yellowjackets (9-14, 5-9 WIAC) will be at UW-Whitewater on Saturday, February 9. The opening tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.