With the game tied 82-82 and 4.8 seconds left in the second half, Aalfs took an inbounds pass from teammate Brendan Bauer (Eleva, Wis./Gilmanton), weaved his way through the UW-River Falls defense and knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key as time expired, giving the Yellowjackets a thrilling 85-82 win over the Falcons at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium.

The victory not only gave the Yellowjackets one of their biggest wins of the season, it also gives UW-Superior some valuable momentum heading into Saturday's conference road trip to UW-Platteville.

UW-River Falls (12-5 overall, 6-2 WIAC) started fast in the opening half, getting 4 quick points from Shane Manor on the way to taking an 18-11 lead with 14:59 left following a three by Brian Kimble.

The Falcons went on to take a 22-14 lead on a layup by Wade Guerin with 13:54 showing on the clock before taking their second eight point lead of the game at 30-22 on a basket from Ollie White at the 10:42 mark.

UW-Superior (11-6, 5-3) steadily rallied back for the remainder of the half however, coming to within 34-31 on a driving layup by Aalfs with 7:46 left in the frame.

Consecutive layups from Bronson Byrne (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) and Bauer finally gave the Yellowjackets a 34-33 lead before another jumper from Byrne with 54 seconds left allowed UW-Superior to take a slim 43-41 advantage into halftime.

The Yellowjackets continued to play well offensively early in the second half, scoring the first five points of the frame behind a three from Aalfs and an inside score from Byrne to take a 48-41 lead with 19:25 left in regulation.

UW-Superior continued to maintain their advantage for most of the second half, holding their edge between five and eight points before taking their largest advantage of the night at 81-73 with 1:43 left after a free throw by Trent Davis (Apple Valley, Minn./St. Bernard's).

The Falcons responded down the stretch, outscoring the Yellowjackets 9-1 over the next 1:38 to even matters at 82-82 with 4.8 seconds left behind eight more points from Manor and a free throw from Guerin.

But the Yellowjackets finally claimed the victory in dramatic fashion as Aalfs took the inbounds pass, and moved through the UW-River Falls defense before connecting on an off-balance three over the Falcons' Aaron Anderson to claim the win for UW-Superior.

Aalfs led the way, scoring 27 points on 10-for-18 shooting.  Bauer finished with 20 points while connecting on 8-of-12 shots while Byrne finished with 19 points and a team-leading seven rebounds.  For the game, the Yellowjackets shot 34-of-58 (58.6 percent) from the field and committed just nine turnovers.

UW-River Falls was paced by Manor with a game-high 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting.  White finished with 19 points while Guerin added 12 points and Kimble 10 for the Falcons.

The Yellowjackets take on the Pioneers starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday.  The game can be heard locally on 91.3 FM KUWS with Matt Johnson on the call.