The No. 25 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team gained an early lead and never relinquished it Saturday afternoon in a 65-51 triumph at UW-Stout in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Johnson Fieldhouse in Menomonie, Wis.
 
The Warhawks (14-3 overall, 3-3 WIAC) scored the first six points and 13 of the first 18 in the game and fought off a late rally by the Blue Devils (12-5, 3-3).
 
Junior guard Chris Jones (Milwaukee, Wis./Bradley Tech) collected 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range, to go along with four assists. Junior forward Scotty Tyler (Grafton, Wis./Grafton) posted 13 points and four rebounds.
 
Junior forward Demetrius Woodley (Milwaukee, Wis./Vincent) and sophomore guard/forward Derek Rongstad (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) contributed 11 points apiece. Rongstad added six rebounds, four assists and two blocks, and Woodley finished with five rebounds and a team-high four steals.
 
Following the quick start, UW-Whitewater extended its lead to double digits by the 13:09 mark of the first half on a 3-pointer by Jones.
 
The Warhawks totaled eight 3-pointers in the period to keep UW-Stout at a distance, and closed the first half on a 7-0 run thanks to baskets by Jones, Woodley and senior forward Alex LeGault (Green Bay/Southwest), who converted a layup as the buzzer sounded.
 
UW-Whitewater pushed its lead to 15 points with 16:25 on the clock following a layup by Woodley. The Blue Devils countered with an 8-0 run to cut the Warhawks' lead to seven, but Tyler hit a 3-pointer with 12:24 to play to bring the lead back to 10.
 
UW-Stout drew to within four points with 5:40 remaining, but the Warhawks scored the next seven points, including five by Tyler, to take a 60-49 advantage with 1:47 on the clock.
 
A 3-pointer by Rongstad with 45 seconds to play all but sealed the win for UW-Whitewater, which held the Blue Devils to 34.5 percent shooting for the game, including a 21.4 percent mark from 3-point range.
 
The Warhawks return to action Wednesday at home against UW-Stevens Point. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. on White Out Night at Kachel Gymnasium. All UW-Whitewater students in attendance will receive a free White Out t-shirt while supplies last.