Related Links:
D3hoops.com Women's Top 25, Week 7
WBCA USA TODAY Division III Coaches' Top 25
2015-16 Schedule (includes live coverage links)
UW-Platteville Women's Basketball Web Page
UW-River Falls Women's Basketball Web Page
 
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team wraps up the first half of its Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference season this Wednesday at UW-Platteville before hosting UW-River Falls for Alumni Day Saturday.
 
The Warhawks (14-3 overall, 3-3 WIAC) head to UW-Platteville Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
 
UW-Whitewater returns home Saturday to face UW-River Falls, which enters the week tied for first place in the conference standings. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Alumni Day at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
In the Rankings
 
The Warhawks moved down five spots to No. 17 in the D3hoops.com Women's Top 25, earning 223 points. The team is slotted above 18th-ranked UW-River Falls (197 points) and just below No. 16 Muhlenberg (Pa.), which totaled 237 points. Other ranked WIAC teams include No. 11 UW-Oshkosh and No. 14 UW-Stevens Point, which are tied atop the league standings with UW-River Falls entering the week.
 
UW-Whitewater dropped three spots to 14th in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's USA TODAY Sports NCAA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll. UW-Oshkosh (11th) and UW-Stevens Point (17th) also appear in the poll.
 
Last Week
 
The Warhawks began the week Wednesday with their first home loss of the season, a 79-66 setback against then-No. 13 UW-Oshkosh. Five players scored in double figures for UW-Whitewater, which trailed by five at halftime and was outscored 22-15 in the fourth quarter. The Titans finished 26-of-30 from the free-throw line and 9-of-15 from 3-point range.
 
Three days later, the Warhawks rallied from a six-point deficit with less than five minutes to play, ending the contest on a 9-1 run to defeat UW-Eau Claire 54-52 on the road. Sophomore guard Brooke Trewyn (Whitewater/Whitewater) recorded her second double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds and put UW-Whitewater ahead for good on a free throw with 19 seconds remaining. Senior forward Lisa Palmer (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) and junior guard Reilly Stewart (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) added nine points apiece to help the Warhawks overcome their lowest shooting percentage of the season (26.5).
 
This Week
 
UW-Whitewater owns a 59-25 advantage in the all time series against UW-Platteville, including a 25-13 mark in road games.
 
The Pioneers (4-13, 1-5), who swept the Warhawks in a pair of games last season, enter the week on a five-game losing streak, including a 72-63 defeat at UW-River Falls on Saturday.
 
UW-Platteville enters the week as the league's leader in rebounding (44.7 per game) and blocked shots (4.9 per game), but is seventh in scoring offense (61.6 ppg) and eighth in scoring defense (70.3 ppg).
 
Elisa Bilderback leads the Pioneers in scoring (12.8 ppg). Morgan Horstman averages 9.6 points and has a team-best 40 assists, while Allison Prestegaard leads the team in rebounding (7.3 rpg) and ranks No. 1 in the conference in blocks (2.76 bpg).
 
UW-River Falls (14-3, 5-1) rebounded from its first conference loss earlier in the week at UW-Stevens Point with a 72-63 victory over UW-Platteville at home on Saturday.
 
The Falcons average 68.3 points per game on the offensive end while allowing 60.7 per game defensively. The team leads the WIAC in free-throw percentage (71.0) and 3-pointers attempted (305).
 
Taylor Karge leads UW-River Falls and ranks second in the conference with 14.8 points per contest, and paces the team with 5.4 rebounds per game. Brynn Liljander is second on the team with 13.1 points per game and is second in the league in 3-pointers made (31), and Richell Mehus is third with 10.8 points per affair.
 
In the first meeting of the season between the Warhawks and Falcons back on Jan. 13 at Kachel Gymnasium, UW-River Falls shot 68.4 percent in the first half and UW-Whitewater was unable to recover from a 16-point halftime deficit in a 78-65 setback. Senior guard Abbie Reeves (Salem/Westosha Central) tallied 14 points to lead the Warhawks, while senior guard Jaya Perkins (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville) and sophomore guard Malia Smith (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) each contributed 13 points.