Related Links:
Play4Kay Information
D3hoops.com Women's Top 25, Week 9
WBCA USA TODAY Division III Coaches' Top 25
2015-16 Schedule (includes live coverage links)
UW-Platteville Women's Basketball Web Page
UW-Stout Women's Basketball Web Page
 
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team looks to gain ground on the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference leaders with a pair of games this week.
 
The Warhawks (17-4 overall, 6-4 WIAC) host UW-Platteville on Play4Kay Night for breast cancer awareness and research Wednesday at 7 p.m. The team visits UW-Stout Saturday at 3 p.m.
 
UW-Whitewater is two games behind league leaders UW-Oshkosh and UW-River Falls with four to play. It is one game shy of third-place UW-Stevens Point.
 
With a victory Wednesday, the Warhawks would clinch a spot in the WIAC Tournament.
 
In The Rankings
 
UW-Whitewater dropped four spots to No. 19 in the latest D3hoops.com women's Top 25 after posting a 1-1 record last week. The team is one of four WIAC schools slotted in the poll – UW-Oshkosh is 13th, UW-River Falls is 15th and UW-Stevens Point is 17th.
 
The Warhawks are 17th in the most recent Women's Basketball Coaches Association USA TODAY Sports NCAA Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll.
 
Last Week
 
On Wednesday, UW-Stevens Point ended the third quarter on a 12-3 run and maintained its lead in the fourth to snap UW-Whitewater's three-game win streak. Sophomore forward Andrea Meinert (West Bend/Kettle Moraine Lutheran) tallied a team-best 13 points and matched senior forward Lisa Palmer (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) for the team high with six rebounds. Senior guard Abbie Reeves (Salem/Westosha Central) posted 12 points.
 
Three days later, Reeves registered 23 points and sophomore forward Kate McKay (Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley) added a career-high 15 points to lead the Warhawks to a 73-55 victory over UW-La Crosse. UW-Whitewater started the contest on a 15-4 run and never trailed by less than 10 from the 6:32 mark of the second quarter on. The team's bench accounted for 49 points in the win.
 
This Week
 
UW-Platteville (5-16, 2-8) dropped consecutive home games last week, falling 76-45 against UW-Oshkosh on Wednesday before a 69-61 setback against UW-Eau Claire.
 
The Pioneers rank eighth in the conference in both scoring offense (61.2 ppg) and scoring defense (70.9 ppg). They lead the league in both rebounds per game (44.2) and blocked shots per contest (5.1).
 
Elisa Bilderback leads UW-Platteville in scoring at 12.7 points per affair, and Megan Horstman averages 10.0 points per game and leads the team in both assists (45) and steals (20). Allison Prestegaard leads the Pioneers in rebounding (7.0 rpg) and is No. 1 in the WIAC in blocked shots (2.76 bpg).
 
UW-Stout (9-12, 3-7), which faces UW-Stevens Point Wednesday before hosting the Warhawks Saturday, snapped a four-game losing streak with a 59-52 upset victory at then-No. 10 UW-Oshkosh.
 
The Blue Devils own the league's No. 1 scoring offense, averaging 71.0 points per game. The team uses turnovers to create easy opportunities on the other end, leading the conference with 10.57 steals per game.
 
Jenna Goldsmith (12.7 ppg), Kyleigh Hebert (11.5 ppg) and Sarah Schoch (10.1 ppg) each average double figures in scoring. Goldsmith is the team's top rebounder at 7.2 per game, and Hebert enters the week with a WIAC-best 86 assists while ranking second in the league in steals (53).
 
UW-Whitewater defeated both teams in games earlier this season. The Warhawks outrebounded the Blue Devils 43-31 in a 72-60 triumph on Jan. 6 at Kachel Gymnasium, and got a career-high 24 points from Reeves in a 74-47 victory at UW-Platteville on Jan. 27.