The No. 19 UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team notched a 67-50 win over the UW-Platteville Pioneers at Kachel Gymnasium.
The win was fueled by senior point guard Kacie Carollo’s third consecutive double-double performance. Carollo tallied 22 points on 9-12 shooting and grabbed 17 rebounds. With this performance, Carollo moved into second place in career rebounds at UW-Whitewater with 759 rebounds.
“It’s great for us to see improvement and keep building,” Kacie Carollo said. “You can improve as a team without winning, but it’s always nice to get a win in the column. Winning at home is important — it’s a big motivator and helps build team cohesiveness. Winning in front of our fans matters, even if there aren’t a ton of people here, because the ones we love are here. That’s what counts.”
The game was tightly contested throughout the first half with there being multiple lead changes. The Warhawks held a narrow 30-25 lead at halftime, with neither team able to establish complete control. UW-Platteville standout Ella Mackiewicz kept the game close with 28 points, but it was the Warhawks’ lockdown defense in the fourth quarter that ultimately sealed the win.
The final quarter belonged to the Warhawks, as they unleashed a decisive 17-7 run to put the game out of reach.
“Ella Mackiewicz is a handful. We knew we wouldn’t completely stop her because she’s such a great player, but we focused on slowing her down and giving her different looks with various defenders,” head coach Keri Carollo said. “Mallory Oloffson did a great job on her in the second half. We also made sure no one else got going, which was crucial. I think their team got a little tired, and that worked to our advantage.”
The victory improves UW-Whitewater’s record to 13-4 overall and 3-3 in the WIAC. In such a competitive conference, the Warhawks stressed the importance of staying focused on every opponent.
“One game at a time — that’s the oldest cliché, but it’s true,” coach Carollo said. “There’s no rest in this conference; everyone is really good. If we maintain the right attitude and keep focusing on improving every day, we’ll be in a good spot.”
Kacie Carollo acknowledged the team’s challenges after losing three of their last four games going into this game.
“Our team is really close off the court — we’re all like best friends. That makes it easier to work together and figure things out when things get tough,” Kacie Carollo said. “We’ve had some rough games, but we’re playing really good teams. It’s about continuing to improve and move forward, and that’s what keeps us going.”
The Warhawks return to Kachel Gymnasium Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. against UW-Stevens Point. Whitewater will be looking to avenge their 68-57 loss to the Pointers earlier this season.
“If you can win all your home games and pick up some tough road wins, you give yourself a chance,” coach Carollo said. “That’s exactly where we want to be.”
