By Josh Sinclair

Feb. 10, 2016

The UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team split the week’s slate of games against two WIAC opponents. The Warhawks first took on UW-Stevens Point on Feb. 3 at Kachel Gymnasium.

No. 19 UW-Stevens Point (16-4) was able to defeat No. 13 Whitewater (17-4), 72-64.

UW-Whitewater took a 40-36 lead in the third quarter on consecutive fast break layups by junior guard Reilly Stewart and sophomore guard Brooke Trewyn.

The Warhawks were able to out-rebound the Pointers 14-8 on the offensive glass to create 20 second-chance points.

“We work hard to win every game,” head coach Keri Carollo said. “There is a reason things like that happen.”

The Pointers were able to hold on for the victory by winning the turnover battle and forcing 14 Warhawk errors.

“We weren’t able to handle the ball as effectively as we needed to,” Carollo said. “But we continue to work hard to make it difficult for teams to score on us.”

The Warhawks also were outscored at the free-throw line, converting only nine from the charity stripe. The Pointers shot 78.3 percent and knocked down 18-of-23 from the free-throw line.

Sophomore forward Andrea Meinert scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead Whitewater. Senior guard Abbie Reeves also contributed 12 points and more than half of the Warhawks free throws, going 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.

UW-Whitewater went on a 6-2 run to start the second quarter thanks to consecutive layups by Meinert, Reeves and senior forward Lisa Palmer to give the ’Hawks their first lead of the game.

The Warhawks cut the Pointers’ lead to four at the 7:47 mark of the fourth quarter, but UW-Stevens Point led by no less than five the rest of the way, hitting 14-of-17 free throws in the final period.

The Warhawks took on UW-Lacrosse (7-14) on Feb. 6 and came away victorious in a 73-55 contest.

The Warhawks’ defense was the key as the Warhawks held the Eagles to 38.6 percent shooting from the floor and forced 19 team turnovers with their half-court trapping defensive attack.

“Our defense and energy continues to be our calling card,”           Carollo said. “When we work hard and play our game, our traps work well and that is when we are at our best.”

Whitewater was able to beat La Crosse in a couple of key areas, outscoring the Eagles 31-16 in points off turnovers, while also outscoring the Eagles in bench points 49-10.

The Warhawks were led by Reeves who had a game-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting including knocking down three from behind the arc. Reeves also grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists on the afternoon.

Sophomore forward Kate McKay had 15 points off the bench for the Warhawks on 5-of-7 shooting in just 17 minutes. Palmer tallied ten points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Warhawks led from start to finish in the contest. The Warhawks held a 35-22 lead after the first half and only added to the lead after that.

The Warhawks finished the game shooting exactly 50 percent from the field on 28-of-56 attempts, including a 41.7 percent clip from behind the arc.

“Our offense really clicked,” Carollo said. “Our players continue to improve and play well.”

Whitewater will return to play at 7 p.m. on Wednesday Feb. 10 at Kachel Gymnasium where they will take on UW-Platteville.