The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team erased an eight-point halftime deficit and came up with big plays in the waning moments Saturday to defeat UW-Stout 74-69 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown in Menomonie, Wis.
 
The Warhawks (7-7 overall, 2-3 WIAC) took their first lead since the 18:45 mark of the first half with just under six minutes to play in the game at 55-54 on a lay-up by freshman forward Andrea Meinert (West Bend/Kettle Moraine Lutheran), the last two of her nine consecutive points in a three-minute span.
 
From there, the Blue Devils regained the advantage and led by three with 2:20 to play.
 
Following a lay-up by sophomore guard Reilly Stewart (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North), UW-Stout doubled its lead to two at 67-65 with a free throw with 1:27 on the clock. Freshman guard Brooke Trewyn (Whitewater/Whitewater) tied it at 67-67 with a pair of free throws at the 1:13 mark.
 
Following a defensive stop, freshman forward Andrea Meinert (West Bend/Kettle Moraine Lutheran) put UW-Whitewater ahead for good on a lay-up with 40 seconds to go.
 
Freshman guard Malia Smith (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) followed another defensive stop with a pair of free throws, and Meinert and sophomore forward Lisa Palmer (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) combined for three free throws down the stretch to help ice the win.
 
Meinert led the Warhawks with a game- and career-high 22 points, including 18 in the second half, on 8-of-13 shooting and tied a team best with nine rebounds. Trewyn totaled a career-best 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting to go along with six rebounds and two steals.
 
Palmer contributed nine points, nine rebounds and a team-high three assists.
 
The two teams exchanged baskets to start the contest before the Blue Devils led 14-8 with 15:40 left in the first half. UW-Stout expanded its lead to nine just over two minutes later and took its largest lead of the period, 32-18, at the 5:47 mark.
 
The Warhawks responded with six straight points on back-to-back jumpers by freshman center Kate McKay (Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley) and a lay-up by sophomore forward Lisa Palmer (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) to cut their deficit to eight with 2:36 on the clock.
 
Stewart connected on a jumper in the waning moments of the half to bring UW-Whitewater to within 37-29 at the break.
 
UW-Stout shot 50 percent in the first, but the Warhawks stayed within striking distance thanks to 14 points from their bench.
 
UW-Whitewater closed its deficit to three at 40-37 with 17:12 on the clock after a 3-point play by Trewyn. The Blue Devils upped their advantage to seven just over four minutes later, and the Warhawks didn't get it back to a possession until the 8:20 mark, when Meinert made it 53-50 with a lay-up.
 
UW-Whitewater's bench outscored UW-Stout reserves 36-13 for the contest. The Blue Devils held advantages in points off turnovers (19-9) and second-chance points (15-6).
 
The Warhawks return home next week to face UW-Eau Claire Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium.