WHITEWATER – The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater overcame a slow start Wednesday night, but was unable to take a lead in the second half in a 64-58 setback against UW-Eau Claire in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
Trailing 37-27 at halftime, the Warhawks (7-8 overall, 2-4 WIAC) whittled their deficit all the way down to one point with eight minutes to play in the second half.
 
From there, the Blugolds (9-6, 4-2) scored 10 of the next 12 points to take a 56-47 advantage with 2:42 to play.
 
UW-Whitewater responded with six straight points, and following a lay-up by UW-Eau Claire, senior guard Abbie Reeves (Salem/Westosha Central) brought it to within 58-56 on a long 3-pointer from the top of the key with 50 seconds on the clock.
 
After a pair of Blugold free throws and a lay-up by sophomore guard Reilly Stewart (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) made it a two-point game again, UW-Eau Claire drained four more free throws in the final 25 seconds and held the Warhawks without a basket over that span to ice the game away.
 
Junior forward Lisa Palmer (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) led UW-Whitewater with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with six rebounds and a team-best three steals. Freshman guards Brooke Trewyn (Whitewater/Whitewater) and Malia Smith (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively. Trewyn grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, and Smith dished out a career-best five assists.
 
The Warhawks shot 39.1 percent (25-for-64) from the field for the game, while the Blugolds hit 44 percent (22-of-50) of their looks.
 
UW-Whitewater forced 17 UW-Eau Claire turnovers and held a 20-10 advantage in points off miscues, while the Blugolds made 15 free throws compared to three for the Warhawks.
 
In the first half, UW-Eau Claire jumped out to a 17-7 lead five minutes into the contest before UW-Whitewater posted a 12-4 run to cut its deficit to 21-19 by the 8:08 mark.
 
Freshman forward Andrea Meinert (West Bend/Kettle Moraine Lutheran) tied the game at 25-25 with 4:15 on the clock , but the Blugolds ended the half on a 12-2 run, including a back-breaking 3-pointer as time expired.
 
UW-Eau Claire shot 56 percent in the first half, but was held to just 32 percent in the second, allowing the Warhawks to remain within striking distance throughout the second period.
 
Trewyn highlighted a 13-4 UW-Whitewater run with a pair of 3-pointers, and her second brought the Warhawks to within 44-41 with 14:15 remaining.
 
With the score at 46-43 following a jumper by Smith, neither team scored again until the 8:00 mark, when Palmer brought UW-Whitewater to within one.
 
The Warhawks resume conference play this Saturday at home against UW-La Crosse. Tip-off at Kachel Gymnasium is slated for 3 p.m.