The No. 14 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team built a double-digit lead in the first half Wednesday night, but was unable to hold on in a 75-70 setback against UW-River Falls in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference affair at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
The Warhawks (11-3 overall, 2-1 WIAC), who entered the contest on an eight-game win streak, were held to 38.7 percent shooting in the second half after making 53.1 percent of their looks in the first.
 
The Falcons (9-5, 3-0) shot 57.1 percent in the second half after a 37.1 percent performance in the opening period.
 
Junior forward Cole Van Schyndel (Kaukauna, Wis./Wrightstown) led UW-Whitewater with 20 points to go along with six rebounds, while senior guard Haki Stampley (Milwaukee, Wis./Hamilton) collected 19 points and six rebounds. Senior guard Trinson White (Milwaukee, Wis./Riverside) tallied nine points and a game-high 14 rebounds, falling one point short of his fourth consecutive double-double.
 
Freshman guard Andre Brown (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) added 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.
 
The Falcons committed just three turnovers for the game and held a 13-2 edge in points off miscues.
 
A 3-pointer by junior guard Drew Bryson (Elkhorn, Wis./Elkhorn), followed by a steal and layup by Brown, pushed the Warhawks' lead to 19-6 at the 12:25 mark of the first half and forced a UW-River Falls timeout.
 
UW-Whitewater upped its advantage to 15 points at 26-11 with 9:08 on the clock before the Falcons drew to within seven just under the eight-minute mark.
 
Stampley knocked down a 3-pointer on the Warhawks' final possession of the first half to give the team a 40-30 lead heading into the locker room.
 
UW-Whitewater led for a majority of the second half, but UW-River Falls continued to chip away at its deficit and finally gained the lead at 59-58 with 7:02 to play.
 
The Warhawks responded with two straight buckets as Stampley hit a 3-pointer and Brown converted a layup to make it 63-59 with 6:00 on the clock.
 
The two teams traded baskets before the Falcons took the lead for good on a 3-pointer with 47 seconds remaining. UW-Whitewater turned it over on the ensuing possession and UW-River Falls hit all six of its free throw attempts in the final 26 seconds of play.
 
The Warhawks resume WIAC play Saturday at UW-La Crosse. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m.