By: Christian van Helden, Athletic Communications Intern
 
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater fell to UW-Stevens Point 72-64 Wednesday night at Kachel Gymnasium in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. 
 
The Warhawks outrebounded the Pointers 14-8 on the offensive glass to create 20 second-chance points and posted 38 points off the bench in the loss. UW-Whitewater is now 5-4 in the WIAC and 16-4 overall for the season.
 
UW-Stevens Point (16-4, 7-2 WIAC) was able to hold on for the win by creating 24 points off 14 Warhawk turnovers and shooting 78.3 percent (18-of-23) from the free throw line.
 
Sophomore forward Andrea Meinert (West Bend/Kettle Moraine Lutheran) scored 13 points (6-of-12 FG), grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists to lead UW-Whitewater. Senior guard Abbie Reeves (Salem/Westosha Central) scored 12 points and went 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.
 
Both teams started the game fast, but UW-Stevens Point held a 14-11 lead heading in the first media time out of the game. Junior guard Reilly Stewart (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) scored six of her eight points in the first quarter to help keep the Warhawks within close as UW-Stevens Point led 20-15 at the end of the first quarter.
 
UW-Whitewater went on a 6-2 run to start the second quarter thanks to consecutive layups by Meinert, Reeves and senior forward Lisa Palmer (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett). The Warhawks tied the game at 21 with 7:21 remaining in the half. Junior guard Andrea Olsen (East Troy/East Troy) gave the Warhawks their first lead at 23-21 with a pair of free throws, but UW-Stevens Point countered with an 11-7 run to take a 31-30 lead going into halftime.
 
After the Pointers tied the game at 36 early in the third, UW-Whitewater took a 40-36 lead on consecutive fast break layups by Stewart and sophomore guard Brooke Trewyn (Whitewater/Whitewater). The Pointers countered with back-to-back scores to tie it at 40 heading into the media timeout with 1:55 left in the third. Sophomore guard Malia Smith (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) hit a running layup with 41 seconds left in the third to cut the deficit to two before UW-Stevens Point countered with a 3-pointer to take a 48-43 lead heading into the final quarter.
 
The Warhawks cut the Pointers' lead to four at the 7:47 mark of the fourth quarter, but UW-Stevens Point led by no less than five the rest of the way, hitting 14-of-17 free throws in the period.
 
UW-Whitewater hits the road Saturday for a WIAC contest at UW-La Crosse. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m.