The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater used a smothering press and fast-paced attack to defeat UW-Stevens Point 64-52 in Kachel Gym Wednesday night. The Warhawks improve to 10-12 and 5-8 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference while the Pointers fall to 11-12 and 6-8 in the league.

UW-Whitewater nearly erased a 10-point deficit by halftime as they picked up the pace down the stretch. With the score tied 6-6 at the 17:06 mark, the Pointers rattled off 10 straight points to take a 16-6 lead at 9:54. 

The Warhawks responded with a 10-2 run of their own, bolstered by three-pointers from Andrea Olsen (East Troy/East Troy) and Reilly Stewart (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North), to pull within two, 18-16. UW-SP would extend their lead to seven at the 5:46 mark but once again UW-Whitewater put the pressure on trapping the Pointer guards and jumping passing lanes while picking up the offensive pace to end the half on a 12-6 run.

The Warhawks cut the Pointer's 10-point advantage down to one, 31-30, when the buzzer sounded to end the half. 

Both teams were efficient offensively in the first 20 minutes with the Warhawks shooting 54.5 percent from the field and UW-SP 41.4 percent from the floor. UW-Whitewater used their long range threat to feed the comeback, making 4-for-4 from behind the arc in the first half. 

UW-Whitewater opened the second half on a 16-4 run to extend their lead into double figures, 45-35, with 11:55 remaining. UW-Stevens Point whittled the gap to four, 55-51 at the 4:26 mark but the Warhawks ended the game on a 9-1 run to seal the 64-52 win.

The Warhawks shot 47.8 percent from the floor in the game while the defense held UW-SP to 35 percent from the field. Abbie Reeves (Salem/Westosha Central) led all players with 15 points. The league's top three-point shooter made good on three of her six opportunities from long range in the game. Kate McKay (Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley) dropped in 11 points, including nine in the second half, on 4-for-6 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line. Andrea Meinert (West Bend/Kettle Moraine Lutheran) posted a game-high nine rebounds. Jaya Perkins (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville) and Malia Smith (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) shared game-high honors with four assists each. 

With just three regular season games remaining, the Warhawks will be on the road for the next two outings. UW-Whitewater will head to River Falls to take on the Eagles Saturday at 3 p.m. before facing the league-leader UW-Oshkosh Wednesday on their home court at 7 p.m.

The Warhawks return home for their final game of the season Saturday, Feb. 21 against UW-Stout at 3 p.m.