The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team shot 57.9 percent from the floor and fended off a rally in the second half Saturday en route to an 87-72 triumph at Ohio Northern in a non-conference affair at Ada, Ohio.
 
The Warhawks (3-0) jumped out to a 20-4 lead and survived a strong push by Ohio Northern early in the second half.
 
The Polar Bears (1-3) took their first lead of the contest with 17:32 on the clock in the second half, but UW-Whitewater tallied 11 of the next 14 points and didn't look back.
 
Junior guard Chris Jones (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech) posted a team-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting to go along with three assists. Junior forward Scotty Tyler (Grafton, Wis./Grafton) registered a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and sophomore guard/forward Mitchell Pfeifer (Wales, Wis./Kettle Moraine) posted a career-best 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
 
Senior forward Cole Van Schyndel (Kaukauna, Wis./Wrightstown) recorded eight points, and sophomore guard Andre Brown (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) collected a game-high seven assists.
 
UW-Whitewater shot 12-of-21 (57.1 percent) from 3-point range.
 
A free throw by senior guard Drew Bryson (Elkhorn, Wis./Elkhorn) gave the Warhawks a 20-4 advantage at the 12:09 mark of the first half.
 
UW-Whitewater matched its largest lead of the half at 17 points when Pfeifer hit a 3-pointer to make it 30-13 with 7:03 remaining.
 
Ohio Northern chipped away at its deficit over the final minutes of the half, but the Warhawks still held a 41-34 advantage heading into the break.
 
The Polar Bears started the second half on a 9-0 run, but Jones scored nine straight UW-Whitewater points and Van Schyndel's layup made it 52-46 with 13:30 left.
 
Ohio Northern drew to within one possession as late as the 10:47 mark, but the Warhawks scored the next eight points on points from four different players to regain their double-digit advantage with 8:27 remaining in the contest.
 
UW-Whitewater maintained a lead of no less than nine points the rest of the way.
 
The Warhawks resume non-conference play and start a six-game home stand Tuesday against Beloit. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium.