UW-Whitewater stumbled out of the lockerroom and never made up for that misstep as UW-La Crosse won 81-65 Thursday night in Mitchell Hall in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  If the Warhawks get any sleep on the bus trip after the game it will probably be fitful, with visions of Eagle senior guard Tony Mane interrupting any rest.  Mane scorched the nets for 35 points.

box score

Textbook.  That could be the description of the La Crosse Eagles' first half.  UW-L led 14-0 by 15:34, with senior guard Tony Mane accounting for eight of those points, including a pair of three pointers.  It took almost five minutes before the Warhawks' broke into the scoring column, with sophomore guard Antone Byrd (Milwaukee/Washington) breaking the drought with a jumper at 15:14.  The Eagles' lead ballooned to 35-13 with 6:39 left in the half, before the teams headed into the lockerroom with UW-L leading 43-27. 

La Crosse shot 57% and combined that with zero turnovers, something no other team has accomplished against UW-W in recent memory.  Whitewater shot just 32% in the half.  Mane lit up the scoreboard for 19 points, while junior center Chris Davis (Madison/East) had ten to lead UW-W.

UW-W came out of the dressing room with an 8-2 run to cut the margin to ten, 45-35, but although they reached ten points four times, UW-L never relinquished its double digit lead.  The Eagles minimized any thoughts of a comeback with a 10-2 run that ended with a Mane layup with 5:26 left and the score 70-52.

Whitewater hit 15-16 free throws, but was just 4-24 from three point range on a night when they shot 40%.  La Crosse hit 9-16 threes, 7-10 by Mane, and 58% from the floor.  Mane finished with 35 points, the most by a Warhawk opponent this season, and the most since Dan Beyer scored 40 for UW-Eau Claire February 17, 2007.   Junior forward Al Cherry added 14 points, and team highs with seven rebounds and five assists.  Davis led UW-W with a double double, 21 points and 11 boards.  Senior guard DJ Dantzler (Joliet, IL/Joliet Township) added 11 points. 

UW-W, 13-7 overall and 6-5 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, will move on to UW-River Falls for a Saturday encounter that tips off at 4:00.  The Warhawks will play at UW-Platteville Wednesday, February 9, then close the regular season with three straight home games, hosting UW-Eau Claire, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Superior.  UW-La Crosse improved to 11-10 overall and 6-6 in the WIAC.

For additional information:  Pat Miller, UW-W coach