Box Score OSHKOSH, Wis. – The No. 3 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team won its fifth straight contest Wednesday night, defeating UW-Oshkosh 78-59 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game at Kolf Sports Center.
 
The Warhawks (5-1 overall, 1-0 WIAC) saw their nine-point halftime lead dwindle to three by the 12:30 mark of the second half, but pulled away with strong defense, a bevy of transition baskets and solid rebounding to emerge with their 11th consecutive victory over the Titans.
 
UW-Whitewater shot 51.8 percent (29-of-56) from the floor while holding UW-Oshkosh (3-2, 0-1) to 43.2 percent. The Warhawks knocked down eight 3-pointers and held a 37-21 advantage in rebounds, including a 13-4 edge on the offensive glass.
 
Senior wing KJ Evans (Beloit, Wis./Beloit Memorial) led all scorers with a season-high 23 points to go along with eight rebounds.
 
Senior guard Quardell Young (Kenosha, Wis./Bradford) contributed 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting and dished out seven assists. Young is now three points shy of 1,000 for his career.
 
Junior wing Xzavier Moananu (Kansas City, Mo./Raytown South), junior forward Ron Patten (Milwaukee, Wis./Whitefish Bay) and senior forward Steve Egan (Omro, Wis./Omro) all finished in double figures. Moananu tallied 13 points and six rebounds, Patten posted 12 points and six rebounds and Egan registered 10 points and eight rebounds.
 
In the first half, the Warhawks shot 62.5 percent from the floor and jumped out to a 40-31 advantage by halftime.
 
After the game was tied at 6-6 just under five minutes into the period, UW-Whitewater took the lead at the 14:29 mark on a 3-pointer by Moananu, and didn't relinquish its lead the rest of the way.
 
A 3-pointer by junior forward Ron Patten (Milwaukee, Wis./Whitefish Bay) with 9:02 on the clock gave the Warhawks a 20-14 advantage.
 
UW-Whitewater took a nine-point lead – its largest to that point – with 4:41 left following a 3-pointer by Young. The team led by as many as 11 in the frame at 40-29 after a pair of free throws by Evans.
 
After committing nine turnovers in the first half, the Warhawks settled in and totaled just five miscues in the second.
 
The Titans whittled the UW-Whitewater lead all the way down to one possession by the 12:30 mark of the half. A 3-pointer by Evans, followed by a lay-up by Young over a minute later, pushed the Warhawks' lead to 54-46 with 10:38 on the clock.
 
UW-Oshkosh got as close as five, but UW-Whitewater continued to pull away as the period wore on.
 
The Warhawks host UW-Platteville this Saturday at 7 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium in their first conference home game of the 2014-15 season.