The No. 15 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team jumped out to a big lead in the second half and hung on with clutch play in the final two minutes Saturday night, defeating UW-Stevens Point 69-63 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
The Warhawks (11-2 overall, 2-0 WIAC) built a 53-34 lead by the 7:32 mark of the second half thanks to an 18-0 run, but the Pointers (7-6, 0-2) responded with a 21-4 spurt over the next five-plus minutes to make it 57-55 with 2:01 on the clock.
 
Freshman guard Andre Brown (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) then took control for UW-Whitewater, tallying the team's next eight points. His first six – on back-to-back driving layups and a pair of free throws – gave the team a 63-55 advantage with 43 seconds remaining.
 
UW-Stevens Point drew to within two again with 16 seconds left, but Brown was fouled two seconds later and hit two more free throws to make it a two-possession game.
 
The Pointers missed a layup on the other end, and junior guard Drew Bryson (Elkhorn, Wis./Elkhorn) knocked down a pair from the line with two seconds to play to ice the contest for the Warhawks, who extended their win streak to eight.
 
Senior guard Trinson White (Milwaukee, Wis./Riverside) led all scorers with 21 points to go along with a team-high 13 rebounds for his third straight double-double and fifth of the year. He also blocked a pair of shots.
 
Brown and junior forward Cole Van Schyndel (Kaukauna, Wis./Wrightstown) registered 11 points apiece, and junior guard Haki Stampley (Milwaukee, Wis./Hamilton) and sophomore guard Jerry Ngobi (Janesville, Wis./Janesville Craig) each collected 10 points. Bryson grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds.
 
UW-Whitewater shot 55.6 percent from the floor and 18-of-20 from the free-throw line while holding UW-Stevens Point to 38.3 percent and 12-of-15 in the same categories. The Warhawks outscored the Pointers 44-26 in the paint.
 
UW-Stevens Point scored the first seven points of the affair and led 13-7 with 13:39 to play in the first half. Brown converted a 3-point play at the 9:50 mark to tie it at 16-16.
 
UW-Whitewater took its first lead of the half at 24-23 following a pair of free throws by Ngobi with 3:31 remaining in the period.
 
Stampley and White extended the Warhawks' lead to 28-23, and the Pointers hit a jumper in the waning seconds to cut their deficit to three heading into the locker room.
 
UW-Whitewater's early second-half run was highlighted by an alley-oop in transition from Stampley to White. It gave the team a 50-34 advantage with just over nine minutes left.
 
The Warhawks continue WIAC play Wednesday against UW-River Falls. Tipoff at Kachel Gymnasium is slated for 7 p.m.