MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team faced Wisconsin in an exhibition game inside the Kohl Center on Wednesday night, with the Badgers pulling away late to win 69-53 in a competitive contest.

Prior to the game, the team's recognized the donations made to the Garding Against Cancer cause from the event held in Platteville earlier this fall.

"Appreciative of Wisconsin and Greg (Gard) giving us this opportunity," Pioneers head coach Jeff Gard said. "And more importantly, know the why behind the game as well, it's much more than just a basketball game. Our guys enjoyed it and a lot to learn from it."

The Pioneers scored the first seven points of the game on a three by senior Max Love and a pair of jumpers by junior Bristol Lewis. Wisconsin erased the early deficit by scoring 10 unanswered points until senior Miles Hettinger knocked down a triple to tie the game. UW-Platteville maintained a slight edge over the next couple minutes, getting a three-point make from freshman Ben Forbes and layups by Love and junior Lucas Rameker.

Wisconsin closed the half strong, outscoring the Pioneers 15-3 over the final six minutes to enter the half with a 31-22 lead.

The Badgers increased the lead to 14 early in the second half, but a 10-point Pioneers run cut the deficit down to 43-39 with just over 12 minutes remaining. Lewis knocked down a pair of triples during the run, and Hettinger capped the stretch with a steal and a transition slam.

UW-Platteville got back within one possession at 47-45 with 9:19 left after a floater by Lewis and a steal and score by Love. Wisconsin responded by scoring the next 14 points over a four-minute span to run the advantage to 61-45 until a three-point make by Love snapped the scoreless drought. The Badgers continued to add to the lead down the stretch to ultimately win 69-53.

"It doesn't matter what stage you're on, basketball is basketball," Coach Gard said. "You've got to play your game, do what you do. The stage that we've been on the last few years has helped our guys. I thought it was good. We saw some things that obviously we'll see on film and we'll clean it up."

Love finished with a team-high 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. Lewis added 12 points on 5-of-12 from the floor while connecting on a pair of tries from long range. For the game, UW-Platteville shot 36.2 percent (21-of-58) from the field and 36.0 (9-of-25) from beyond the arc. The Pioneers shot the ball well in the second half, finishing 43.3 percent (13-of-30) across the final 20 minutes.

Wisconsin was at 47.4 percent (27-of-57) for the game but just 24.0 percent (6-of-25) from three. The Badgers got the line often, shooting 19 free throws compared to four for the Pioneers, but made just nine (47.4 percent).

UW-Platteville's defense was active all game, forcing 15 turnovers and turning those opportunities into 17 points. On the glass, senior Aiden Wieczorek grabbed a team-leading six boards, while Love and Lewis each added five.

The Pioneers will begin the season at home on Sunday, November 9 against Nebraska Wesleyan. Game time is set for 2 p.m. from Bo Ryan Court.