The No. 5 UW-Whitewater men’s basketball team finished undefeated Dec.1 and 2 when they traveled to California for the two-day Lee Fulmer Memorial Classic.

The Warhawks (6-0) started off the weekend with a 78-61 victory over non-conference opponent Caltech University.

In the first game, UW-W was led by junior guard Mitchell Pfeifer who scored 18 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals. Junior forward Derek Rongstad posted a similar line of 17 points, five rebounds and two steals.  Junior guard Dalton Menke added 13 points.

“The first game we came out in the first half and didn’t play how we wanted to play,” junior guard David Sachs said. “We had lots of intensity of the second half. We were able to limit our minutes, which was a big help.”

In the second game, the Warhawks squeezed out a close contest against Redlands University (California), pulling off a 69-60 victory.

During the contest the Warhawks were held to 31.1 percent field goal shooting, but hit 11 three pointers in the process.

UW-W finished with a 90.9 shooting percentage from the free throw line going 20-22 overall.

Sachs led the Warhawks from the charity stripe with a season-high 28 points on 13-13 shooting from the free throw line. Sachs also recorded six assists, six steals and five boards.

Menke scored 15 points, all of which came from beyond the arc. Menke also snatched eight rebounds and three steals.

“Dalton Menke was very good both offensively and defensively”, head coach Pat Miller said. “He did a great job on the glass and didn’t have any turnovers. David Sachs did a good job running the offense and handled the ball well. It was a physical game. He did a great job at the free-throw line. Those two were very solid.”

The Warhawks’ tough defense held Redlands University to a dismal 36.5 shooting percentage from the floor.

“We struggled offensively, but the effort and intensity we played with defensively allowed us to win the game,” Miller said. “We defended well enough to overcome a bad shooting night and shot well from the free-throw line.”

UW-W will be on the road for over a month, as the team will return to Kachel Gymnasium Jan. 6.

“Obviously it’s great team bonding to be able to go on the road and spend time with each other, going to places like California and Indiana together,” Sachs said. “It’s only going to help us on the court, being together for long, extended periods of time”

Next up for the Warhawks will be a trip to the St. Andrews Products Classic Dec. 8 and Dec. 9 in Angola, Indiana.