MADISON, Wis. — The UW-River Falls men's basketball team competed against the Wisconsin Badgers in an exhibition at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. as part of the Garding Against Cancer initiative on Wednesday, Oct. 30. 

The Badgers won by a score of 78-62, as the Falcons were down by just two points with 12:55 remaining in the second half and never trailed by more than 23 points. Senior Zac Johnson led all players with 23 points, shooting 60% from the field.

UWRF shot 13-28 as a team in the first half, which helped the Falcons keep within striking distance — Wisconsin's lead never grew more than 12 points in the opening 20 minutes of game play. Johnson scored 11 of his points in the first half, as UW-River Falls went into halftime trailing 40-29.

Johnson opened up the second half with UWRF's first seven points, off two three-pointers and a free-throw. With just under 15 minutes left in the second half, UWRF forced two turnovers and rattled off a 6-0 run that cut Wisconsin's lead to 45-42. The Falcons came within 47-45 at the 12:55 mark, behind an and-one from Dylan Parker.

After UWRF cut the lead to two points, Wisconsin responded by going on a 13-0 run that put the Badgers out in front by double digits. Wisconsin extended that run to 18-7, as the Badgers pulled ahead 75-52 with 3:58 remaining. The Falcons trimmed the lead to 13 late in the half, but the Badgers held on to win the game 78-62.

As a team, UWRF shot 25-57 (43.9%) from the field. The Falcons held a 32-26 advantage in points in the paint and an 11-9 lead in second-chance points. As a whole, 13 Falcons scored points in the exhibition. Drew Adams led all players with eight rebounds on the night.

The Garding Against Cancer initiative was founded by Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard and his wife Michelle to raise funds and awareness for cancer research at the UW Health Carbone Cancer Center and throughout the state of Wisconsin. More information about Garding Against Cancer can be found here.

UWRF is set to officially open its 2024-25 season with a road matchup at Macalester on Nov. 13.

Following UWRF's season opener at Macalester, the Falcons are set to host their first home game of the year against Crown at Page Arena on Nov. 16. Tickets for UWRF men's basketball can be purchased here.