Although the final score is misleading, UW-Whitewater won't care about appearances as the Warhawks defeated Augustana College (IL) 77-66 Tuesday night in Kachel Gym at Williams Center in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

box score

photo gallery (courtesy Callista Hoffstead)

The lead changed hands for the eight minutes of the game, with Augustana ahead 14-13 on a Kyle Nelson jumper at 12:33.  Dustin Mitchell (Lac Du Flambeau/Lakeland) gave UW-W the lead back with a layup at 12:18, and the Warhawks slowly built an eight point lead, 34-26 at 1:39, before taking a 34-28 lead in to the locker room.  

Ditto.  That would describe the second half as the Warhawks led until Troy Rorer made a three point play  to give the Vikings their first lead of the half 57-56 at 7:46.  Alex Edmunds (Cedarburg/Cedarburg)' layup on the next possession gave UW-W the lead back, a lead it never relinquished.  The Whitewater lead stayed in single digits until Augustana was forced to foul to try to stop the clock and the Warhawks foiled that strategy by going 10-10 from the line in the last 1:01, with Dupree Fletcher (Milwaukee/Rufus King) hitting all eight of his attempts in that span.

That final spurt at the line was indicative of the game.  The Warhawks hit 26-29 and Augustana 8-14.  Fletcher, in his first game for the Warhawks, tied the fifth best free throw shooting performance in school history.  He ended with 21 points to lead all scorers.  Senior center Dustin Mitchell (Lac Du Flambeau/Lakeland) added 18 points, hitting 6-7 from the floor.  Point guard Phil Negri (Minocgua/Lakeland) was also in double figures with 15.  Mitchell led the Warhawks with seven rebounds.

Nelson, a junior center, collected a double-double to lead the Vikings, scoring 17 and grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds, six on the offensive glass.  Guard Matt Pelton chipped in with 12 points and a team-high three assists.  

UW-W, ranked third in the latest D3hoops.com poll, improved to 11-0 overall.  Augustana is now 7-3.  The Warhawks will play at Whitman College at Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington December 28.  Whitworth, gracious enough to save UW-W some travel time and expense, will then host the Warhawks December 29.  The next home game for Whitewater will be a return to Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play January 9 at 7:00 with UW-River Falls visiting Kachel Gym in Williams Center.

For additional information:  Pat Miller, UW-W coach