The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team posted its 19th straight regular season non-conference victory Saturday afternoon with a 79-73 triumph over Coe College (Iowa) at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
The Warhawks (7-0 overall) forced 16 Kohawk turnovers for the game, while scoring 22 points off those turnovers. UW-Whitewater's bench outscored their opponents by a 27-15 margin.
 
Senior guard Reilly Stewart (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) achieved a career-high in scoring, totaling 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range, to go along with three rounds.
 
Juniors Malia Smith (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) and Andrea Meinert (West Bend/Kettle Moraine Lutheran) also had big games for the Warhawks on both sides of the basketball. Smith finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Meinert recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
 
Junior guard Brooke Trewyn (Whitewater/Whitewater) contributed ten points, five rebounds, and three steals, while freshman guard Becky Raeder (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) pitched in eight points.
 
The Warhawks built a 13-point lead late in the second quarter on a 3-pointer and a turnover by Stewert and held a 36-23 advantage with 3:06 to play in the half. The Kohawks then went on an 8-0 run to close out the half and UW-Whitewater took a 36-31 lead into halftime.
 
Smith opened the second half with a jump-shot off an assist by Meinert who finished the game with five assists. Coe took its first lead of the game deep into the third quarter, and led 52-50 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The Kohawks built a five-point lead, but that was quickly earased thanks to a Meinert layup and a 3-pointer by Trewyn to tie the game at 55 apiece.
 
The Warhawks went 6-of-6 from the charity stripe in the last thirty seconds of the game to seal the victory.
 
UW-Whitewater returns to action on Tuesday, Dec. 13 with another non-conference match up against Carroll college. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium.