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Men's Basketball Alumni Reunion – Saturday, Feb. 14
NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Statistics
UW-Stevens Point Men's Basketball Web Page
UW-River Falls Men's Basketball Web Page
D3hoops.com
 
The No. 1 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team, currently leading the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference by one-half game, visits second-place UW-Stevens Point Wednesday before returning home Saturday for a contest against UW-River Falls.
 
The Warhawks (19-2 overall, 12-0 WIAC), currently riding a 13-game winning streak, face what may be their toughest test of the season Wednesday when they take on the Pointers, currently ranked 15th by D3hoops.com. UW-Whitewater and UW-Stevens Point have combined to win the last nine conference regular season championships.
 
If the Warhawks win Wednesday, they will be in the driver's seat for the outright league regular season title and the top seed in the WIAC Tournament. If the Pointers are victorious, and both teams win out in the regular season, the two teams will be declared co-champions, and a coin flip will determine the conference tournament's No. 1 seed.
 
UW-Stevens Point's 67-55 triumph at UW-Platteville last Saturday guaranteed that neither the Pointers nor the Warhawks will finish worse than second in the league standings. Both teams are assured of a bye to the WIAC Tournament semifinals.
 
Wednesday – at UW-Stevens Point, 7 p.m.
UW-Stevens Point leads the all-time series against UW-Whitewater, 98-81. The Pointers have won nine of the last 11 meetings between the two teams after the Warhawks won three straight during a span between 2008 and 2010.
 
UW-Whitewater took the first game in this season's home-and-home, defeating UW-Stevens Point 59-44 back on Jan. 21 at Kachel Gymnasium. The Warhawks shot 55.3 percent from the floor and held the Pointers to 33.3 percent. Senior guard Cody Odegaard (Poynette, Wis./Poynette) tallied 18 points to lead UW-Whitewater. Senior guard Austin Ryf led UW-Stevens Point with 18 points.
 
The Pointers (18-4, 12-1) enter the week with the conference's No. 1 scoring defense, allowing just 55.5 points per contest. The team averages 65.3 points per contest on the offensive end, good for sixth in the league.
 
UW-Stevens Point leads the WIAC in turnover margin (+4.41 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.39-to-1).
 
Five Pointers average between 10-14 points per game and rank among the conference's top 21 in scoring. Senior forward Alex Richard paces the team with 13.2 points and shoots 59.8 percent from the floor, good for third in the league, and 74.1 percent from the free throw line, a team high. Richard leads the WIAC in offensive rebounds per game (2.5).
 
Junior guard Stephen Pelkofer (11.9 ppg) leads the team with 4.8 rebounds per affair. Senior wing Joe Ritchay (11.4 ppg) leads UW-Stevens Point in assists (60), staels (41) and blocks (9).
 
Ryf (10.5 ppg) and senior forward Jordan Lutz (10.0 ppg) round out the Pointers' top scorers. Ryf shoots a team-best 43.8 percent from 3-point range, while Lutz hits 41.7 percent of his 3-point attempts and has made a team-high 40 threes.
 
Saturday – vs. UW-River Falls, 5 p.m.
UW-Whitewater leads the all-time series, 74-38. The Warhawks have won five straight against the Falcons, including a 67-63 triumph at UW-River Falls on Jan. 3. After a slow offensive start, UW-Whitewater shot 57.1 percent in the second half and took the lead for good midway through the period. Senior guard Quardell Young (Kenosha, Wis./Bradford) led the Warhawks with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists.
 
The Falcons (9-12, 7-5) begin the week as the WIAC's No. 3 scoring offense (68.9 points per game) and sixth-ranked scoring defense (67.8 ppg). The team leads the conference in assists per game (14.1) and ranks second in field goal percentage (48.6 percent).
 
Junior forward John Christensen leads UW-River Falls in points (12.9) and rebounds (6.3) per game, and holds the team's top free throw percentage (76.6 percent), minimum 2.0 attempts per game. He also paces the team in 3-pointers made (29) and blocks (13).
 
Sophomore guard Grant Erickson (10.1 ppg) paces the Falcons and ranks second in the league in assists (93), and is the team's leader in steals (38). He also leads the WIAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.58-to-1) and shoots 51.9 percent from the field.
 
Other UW-River Falls starters include junior forward Jack Herum, sophomore guard Joe Deppe and junior center Connor Goodwin. Deppe leads the team in 3-point field goal percentage (44.3 percent), and Goodwin is the conference's No. 1 in shooting percentage, minimum 3.0 makes per game (61.1 percent).
 
The Falcons start the week with a trip to UW-Stout Wednesday at 7 p.m.