WHITEWATER – The second-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team combined superb shooting with tenacious defense at the other end Wednesday night to defeat No. 15 UW-Stevens Point 59-44 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
Playing in front of a large, boisterous crowd, the Warhawks (15-2 overall, 8-0 WIAC) jumped out to an 11-2 lead through the first three minutes of play and didn't look back.
 
UW-Whitewater shot 55.3 percent from the floor and held the Pointers (13-4, 7-1) to 33.3 percent to take sole possession of first place in the WIAC half way through the conference season.
 
Senior guard Cody Odegaard (Poynette, Wis./Poynette) led the Warhawks, who have now won nine straight games, with 18 points, while senior wing KJ Evans (Beloit, Wis./Beloit Memorial) tallied 14 points to go along with five rebounds.
 
Senior guard Quardell Young (Kenosha, Wis./Bradford) registered his second double-double of the season with 11 points, 10 assists and two steals. Senior forward Steve Egan (Omro, Wis./Omro) added 11 points and a team-best six rebounds.
 
UW-Whitewater took its first double-digit lead at the 13:18 mark of the first half, moving ahead 21-10 following a lay-up by Young. UW-Stevens Point responded with an 11-2 run to cut its deficit to 23-21 with 5:44 remaining in the first.
 
Egan helped the Warhawks increase their lead back to seven with 1:59 on the clock after drawing fouls on consecutive made baskets. A pair of Pointer free throws made the score 30-25 entering the locker room.
 
UW-Whitewater then started the second half in the same manner it started the first.
 
After a bucket by UW-Stevens Point cut the Warhawks' lead to three, 3-pointers by Young and Odegaard powered an 8-0 run to make it 38-27 with 17:47 to play.
 
From there, UW-Whitewater never trailed by fewer than nine points, holding the Pointers – who entered the game leading the league in field goal percentage – to just 27.3 percent shooting (6-of-22) in the second period.
 
UW-Stevens Point held a 12-3 advantage in offensive rebounds, while the Warhawks outscored the Pointers 15-5 off turnovers.
 
UW-Whitewater begins the second half of its WIAC slate this Saturday at UW-Superior. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.