Related Links:UW-Whitewater NCAA Tournament Home Page WHITEWATER – The second-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team saw its season come to an end Friday night in an 83-71 setback against Defiance (Ohio) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at Kachel Gymnasium.
The Warhawks, who shared the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship and won the WIAC Tournament title, finish their season with a 24-4 record. UW-Whitewater set a school record with 15 conference wins during the regular season.
The Yellow Jackets (22-6) advance to Saturday's second round, where they'll take on St. Olaf (Minn.), a 90-78 winner over Ohio Wesleyan in Friday's opener, at 7 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium.
The Warhawks outscored Defiance 44-28 in the paint and shot 48.2 percent for the contest, but the Yellow Jackets countered with 12 three-pointers and a 15-6 advantage in second-chance points.
Senior guards
KJ Evans (Beloit, Wis./Beloit Memorial) and
Quardell Young (Kenosha, Wis./Bradford) saw their outstanding careers come to a close. Evans totaled 17 points and tied a game high with six rebounds, while Young posted 14 points and three blocks.
Senior forward
Steve Egan (Omro, Wis./Omro) contributed nine points, four rebounds and two blocks, while senior guard
Rahjan Muhammad (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) tallied nine points, four rebounds and two steals.
After a closely contested first 13-plus minutes of the first half, the Warhawks took control in the later part of the period with tight defense and strong play in transition.
After a layup by senior guard
Rahjan Muhammad (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) tied the game at 20-20 with 6:43 on the clock, Evans stole a pass and, off a pretty give-and-go with Muhammad, flushed down a dunk to give UW-Whitewater its first lead since the 10:28 mark with 6:14 remaining.
Egan tallied five of the Warhawks' next six points, and layups by junior guard
Xzavier Moananu (Kansas City, Mo./Raytown South) and Evans made it 32-23 with 2:48 left in the half.
After a 3-pointer by Defiance, Young worked the clock down and converted a runner in the lane to give UW-Whitewater a 36-28 lead heading into the locker room.
The Yellow Jackets came out for the second half hot from long range, hitting three 3-pointers in the first 3:52 of the frame to tie the game at 40-40.
The two teams went back and forth for the next four minutes, and Moananu hit two free throws at the 11:57 mark to give the Warhawks a 51-49 lead.
Defiance took the lead for good with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, and extended its lead to six points with 7:55 remaining.
After a jumper by Evans, the Yellow Jackets registered seven straight points to take the largest lead of the game for either team at 66-55 with 5:37 on the clock.
Young converted a layup on the next possession, but Defiance ran off five consecutive points, including a back-breaking 3-pointer to make it 71-57 with 3:48 left.
Over the last four years, UW-Whitewater, led by seniors Young, Egan, Evans and
Cody Odegaard (Poynette, Wis./Poynette), compiled 106 wins, two national championships, two WIAC regular season titles and two conference tournament championships.
