Box Score

The UW-Whitewater women's basketball team opened the year with an exhibition game at Marquette Friday evening in Milwaukee. The Golden Eagles defeated the Warhawks by a final tally of 78-59.
 
Mary Merg (Greendale/Greendale) led all Warhawks with 17 points while pulling in a pair of rebounds. Katie Burton (Crystal Lake, IL/Crystal Lake South) scored 16 points and recovered a team-leading four rebounds.
 
UW-W got on the board first when Amy Mandrell (Forsyth, IL/Maroa-Forsyth) recovered an offensive rebound and put it back to take an early 2-0 lead 43 seconds into the game.
 
The Warhawks kept the pressure on the Golden Eagles, holding MU scoreless over a three minute stretch to take a 16-12 lead with 12:24 left in the first half. After a Marquette bucket, Mandrell made a jumper off an inbound pass to go up 18-14.
 
After Marquette went on a 5-0 run to go up 19-18 at the 9:15 mark, Abbie Reeves (Salem/Westosha Central) gave UW-W the lead with a jumper to put UW-W back up by one. Kaitlyn Thill (Belgium/Ozaukee) drew a foul and hit both free throws to go up three, 22-19, with 8:58 to play in the first half.
 
Marquette took a two-point lead, 24-22, then Merg hit a three to take back the lead, 25-24, with under six minutes left in the first half. MU closed the half by going on a 16-4 run to put the halftime score at 40-29.
 
At the half Burton was the Warhawks' leading scorer with eight while three others had five. Thill had three rebounds and three steals.
 
The Golden Eagles opened the second half with a 9-2 run to extend their lead to 18, 49-31. The Warhawks fought back and went on an 8-0 run to pull within 12, 43-55 at 14:10.
 
UW-W pulled within eight, 59-67, at 4:24 mark, but MU took control of the game to the final buzzer.
 
Whitewater will open the regular season at the St. Norbert Tournament in DePere, Wisconsin November 11.


PP/ak