The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team battled the full 40-minutes, but a late comeback fell short against Washington University in St. Louis in the Second Round game of the NCAA Tournament. The Warhawks trailed by as much as 13 in the second half, but made it a one possession game late. WashU was able to convert from the free throw line, defeating the Warhawks 74-71.

A three-pointer right out of the gate from WashU set the tone early for the game, as both teams came into the game with top-30 shooting offenses in the nation. 

Richie Warren (Racine, Wis./Park) started things off for the Warhawks, scoring the first seven points of the game for UWW. Brock Marino (Lake Villa, Ill./Lakes Community) added a lay-up to give the Warhawks their first lead at 9-8. 

The next 12 points for UWW was all behind the arc, with UWW hitting four straight threes. Joey Berezowitz (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) hit two of those threes, then scored the next two baskets for UW-Whitewater, scoring 10-points during the stretch. 

Washington University was able to hit their shots on the other end though, not letting the Warhawks get more than a four-point lead in the game. At the under-8 media, UWW had just a two point lead at 25-23.

The Bears closed the half strong, finishing with a 17-6 run in the final seven minutes of the half. Heading into the locker room, the Warhawks were down by nine points, 40-31. 

WashU scored the first two baskets of the second half, giving them a 13-point lead, their biggest of the night. The Warhawks weren't going down without a fight though, answering back with a 10-3 run to cut the lead down to just six. 

Warren and Collin Madson (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) kept the run going for the Warhawks, each scoring 8 points in the first 10-minutes of the half. Isaac Verges (Franklin, Wis./Franklin) added in five as the Warhawks outscored the Bears 25-13 to cut the lead down to just a point.

Madson hit back-to-back threes to put the scoreboard at 56-57 as the clock went under 10-minutes. WashU answered back with a 7-0 run, curbing the Warhawk momentum slightly.

WashU kept a multi-possession advantage in the final few minutes, going up by nine at 68-59 with just five minutes left. JR Lukenbill (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) and Luke Bara (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) hit back to back lay-ups to get the Warhawks back in the game, but a WashU field goal put the Bears back up by seven.

Lukenbill closed the game back down, and Richie Warren (Racine, Wis./Park) came alive for the Warhawks, scoring the next six points to keep the game at just a single point. WashU made two free throws with 30 seconds left, putting them up by three.

The Warhawks had two looks from three to send the game into overtime, but neither fell for UWW as Washington University took the 74-71 victory.

Richie Warren (Racine, Wis./Park) led the Warhawks with 22 points, making 10 of his 13 shots on the day. Warren and Lukenbill led UWW on the boards with five each. Warren also added another four blocks to his stat line.

Collin Madson (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) added in 14 points of his own, scoring 10 in the second half. Joey Berezowtz added 12, JR Lukenbill (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) and Isaac Verges (Franklin, Wis./Franklin) each had seven points to round out the Warhawk scoring.

The Warhawks shot 50% from the floor (30-60) and 36% from three (8-for-22). WashU made 50.8% of their attempts (30-59) and 43.8% from three (7-for-16). 

The Warhawks finished the 2025-26 campaign with a 21-9 record, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023.