Box Score UW-Whitewater upped its mark to 4-0 with an 87-76  win over Hamline University, 1-2, Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Box Score

Hamline scored first, but a 12-0 run, capped by two free throws from Cody Odegaard (Poynette/Poynette) put UW-W in front 14-4.  HU came back to within five at 14-9, and the Pipers traded points with Warhawk senior center Chris Davis (Madison/East) over the next couple of minutes.  Three times Hamline scored, but three times Davis stepped to the free throw line, totaling six points in that stretch, to keep UW-W in front 23-17.  A quick 6-0 burst, including two layups gave the Warhawks a ten point bulge at 35-25, and after a Piper basket, freshman guard Charlie Fischer (Hartland/Arrowhead)'s three made it 38-27 for UW-W.  Sophomore guard Eric Bryson (Elkhorn/Elkhorn) hit a three and a layup in quick succession to give Whitewater its largest lead of the half, 45-27.  Another Fischer three ended the half with the Warhawks in front 48-31.

Bryson led both teams with 15 first half points, hitting 5-7 shots, including 3-4 from beyond the arc.  Davis added 13 points, and sophomore guard Alex Merg (Greendale/Greendale) dished out eight assists in the first 20 minutes.  Freshman forward Dior Ford led Hamline with nine first half points.

Whether it was a special energy drink, half time pep talk or great strategy, Hamline came out of the locker room and steadily whittled down the deficit.  After a Davis layup put UW-W up 50-32 at 19:10, the Pipers out-scored the Warhawks 13-2, with senior guard Brandon Rieg's three at 14:00 cutting the Whitewater lead to 52-45.  An Odegaard three temporarily stopped the bleeding, but Hamline put the next nine points on the scoreboard, finishing with another Rieg three-pointer, to pull within one, 55-54 at 10:22.

Whitewater came out of a timeout with six points, five from Odegaard, to gain a little breathing space at 61-54, and with just over four minutes left a Davis three made it 73-64.  With a 77-71 lead UW-W point guard Alex Merg (Greendale/Greendale) hit a three from deep with the shot clock running down for an 80-71 advantage that the Pipers couldn't overcome.

The Warhawks shot 55% from the floor and 55% (12-22) from three point range.  Hamline shot 44% from the field, but made 20-25 free throws to stay close. 

Davis led all scorers with 29 points, including 10-11 from the line.  Bryson added 17, Odegaard 15 and Fischer 12.  Merg wound up with 12 assists, tied for eleventh in the UW-W record book.  Hamline had four players in double figures, with guard Mike Campbell leading with 14 and a team high six rebounds. 

UW-W will host Illinois Wesleyan University Wednesday at 7:00 in Kachel Gym of Williams Center.

For additional information:  Pat Miller, UW-W coach