The Warhawk women's basketball team, ranked fifth in Division III, rode a balanced scoring attack to a 67-53 win over Calvin College (MI) in a tournament hosted by Embry Riddle College in Orlando, Florida Tuesday.
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UW-Whitewater threatend to run away and hide, opening the game with a 12-0 run, with five of the points coming from point guard Kelsey Hendrickson (Monroe/Monroe).. Calvin didn't score its first point, a free throw, until 16:09.
The Knights regrouped from the early blitz to pull within six several times near the end of the half, including the intermission margin of 31-25.
Whitewater shot just 28% from the floor in the first twenty minutes, but made up for that with a 26-18 rebound advantage. UW-W senior center Tiffany Morton (Beloit/Memorial) had nine rebounds in the first half.
Calvin senior forward Marcia Harris led both teams with 14 points in the first half, hitting 5-6 field goal attempts and 4-5 free throws.
Whitewater opened the second half the same way they started the game, using a 9-2 advantage to open a 40-27 lead at 16:19.
With 11:02 left in the game Morton had already totaled her seventh double-double of the season, and twenty-first of her career, scoring her tenth point to go with 15 rebounds. With 8:36 left in the half Morton grabbed her seventeenth rebound, a new team season high.
Kristi Brummel's three-pointer got the margin down to nine, 48-39 with 10:27 left, but that would be the last time the Knights got it under ten or more. Whitewater had several fifteen point bulges in the second half, and went as large as sixteen, 65-49 with 2:07 on two free throws by Nicole Bundy (Fredonia/Ozaukee).
Whitewater shot just 34% in the game, but the 49-33 difference on the glass, leading to 19 second chance points for UW-W, was decisive.
Morton wound up with 14 points and 19 rebounds. That rebound total ties for the twelfth highest in school history, also accomplished by Vanessa Rieder January 17, 2000 and Julie Michel February 25, 1978, She led a balanced scoring attack, with Hendrickson adding 13, Heidi Sonntag (Milwaukee/Wisconsin Lutheran) 11, and Nicole Bundy (Fredonia/Ozaukee) 10. Hendrickson and Sonntag also contributed four assists apiece.
Harris did not score in the second half, but wound up leading Calvin with her 14 first half points. She was the only Knight in double figures. Courtney Kurncz was the game leader in steals, with five.
The Warhawks will return home to host UW-River Falls at 3:00 Saturday, January 3 in Kachel Gym of Williams Center.
For additional information: Keri Carollo, UW-W coach
