Freshman forward Andrea Meinert (West Bend/Kettle Moraine Lutheran) rebounded a missed shot and converted the put-back with no time left on the clock to help the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team defeat UW-La Crosse 56-54 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest in La Crosse, Wis.
 
With the game tied at 54-54 with 23 seconds to play, the Warhawks (9-11 overall, 4-7 WIAC) held for a final shot. Freshman guard Brooke Trewyn (Whitewater/Whitewater) drove the lane and missed on a floater, but Meinert was there to grab the miss and put the ball up through traffic.
 
The ball went in just as the buzzer sounded to give UW-Whitewater its third road victory of the season and a season sweep of the Eagles (8-12, 3-8).
 
The Warhawks knocked down 23-of-30 free throws (76.7 percent) and held UW-La Crosse to 33.3 percent shooting from the field. UW-Whitewater also forced 21 turnovers, leading to 19 points.
 
The Warhawks' bench played a major role in the road win, outscoring the Eagles' reserves 28-6 in the affair.
 
Freshman center Kate McKay (Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley) led the team with team highs of 11 points and nine rebounds. Meinert was close behind with 10 points and seven rebounds.
 
Junior guard Reilly Stewart (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) tallied nine points and four steals, while Trewyn contributed eight opoints and six rebounds.
 
In the first half, neither team led by more than four points. Both teams struggled from the field, but combined to make 16-of-20 from the free throw line.
 
The Warhawks, who grabbed eight offensive rebounds in the half, took a 17-13 lead with 8:03 on the clock following a pair of free throws by junior wing Maddie Bare (Fort Atkinson/Fort Atkinson). The Eagles scored on their next possession and posted a 7-0 run to take a 20-17 advantage with 5:27 left in the period.
 
Trewyn answered with a jumper and UW-Whitewater took the lead back on the possession after on a jumper by freshman center Kate McKay (Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley).
 
The two teams traded baskets, and UW-La Crosse entered the locker room with a 28-27 lead.
 
The Eagles increased their lead to eight points by the 14:27 mark of the second half. The Warhawks chipped away at their deficit, eventually tying the game at 51-51 with 4:02 left following a 3-pointer by Stewart.
 
UW-Whitewater took its first lead of the half at 52-51 with 2:54 remaining following a free throw by freshman guard Malia Smith (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley).
 
After UW-La Crosse tied it at 52-52, the two teams exchanged empty trips and each converted two free throws on the possessions that followed, setting up Meinert's late heroics.
 
UW-Whitewater returns to action next Saturday, Feb. 7, at UW-Eau Claire. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.