SUPERIOR, Wis. – The UW-River Falls men's basketball team earned its first victory of the 2025-26 season Sunday afternoon to close out the NBC Tip-Off Classic. The Falcons stormed back in the final minutes for a 63-58 win over UW-Superior.

Heading into half-time, the Falcons held a 7-point advantage against the Yellowjackets. UWRF built a lead of ten points with 15-minutes left in the second half before the Yellowjackets surged ahead midway through the period, taking a 51-44 advantage with just over six minutes to play. From there, UWRF flipped the script, and closed out the game on a 12-3 run to finish the weekend with a victory. 

Junior Drew Tengblad delivered the go ahead three-pointer with just under 2:30 remaining to put the Falcons up 58-55, while senior Jack Leifker helped seal the win with late free throws and a tip-in in the closing minute.

Leifker led UWRF with 18 points and five rebounds, shooting 8-for-10 from the line. Jeremy Wanguhu added 10 points, four assists, and four boards, while Gavin Ralph posted nine points and a team-high nine rebounds. Off the bench, Tengblad added nine while Reggie Postel contributed five points, three assists, and three steals.

The Falcons shot 39 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free throw line (20-of-25), while holding Superior to 36 percent shooting. UWRF also outscored the Yellowjackets 20-6 at the line and 13-0 in points off turnovers.

With the win, UW-River Falls improves to 1-1 and will return to action next week for its home opener on Nov. 12 to take on the Carleton Knights.