Despite seeing a double-digit lead disappear, the No. 21 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team made clutch plays late Wednesday night en route to a 65-62 overtime victory at UW-La Crosse in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
 
The Warhawks (11-1 overall, 1-0 WIAC) took the lead for good midway through the extra period on a pair of free throws by junior guard Malia Smith (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley).
 
Sophomore forward Olivia Freckmann (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) knocked down a jumper on the next possession to make it a three-point lead, and senior guard Reilly Stewart (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) hit a 3-pointer with 1:05 to play to give UW-Whitewater a 64-58 advantage.
 
The Eagles (6-6, 0-1) responded with back-to-back buckets around a defensive stop to get within two before Stewart hit 1-of-2 from the free-throw line with three seconds left for the final margin.
 
UW-La Crosse missed a game-tying 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
 
Junior forward Andrea Meinert (West Bend/Kettle Moraine Lutheran) was one of four Warhawks in double figures, totaling 15 points to go along with five rebounds. Stewart posted 14 points and four rebounds off the bench, and Smith registered 12 points, three assists and two steals.
 
Freshman guard Becky Raeder (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) added 11 points and two steals, and junior guard Brooke Trewyn (Whitewater/Whitewater) collected six points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in a team-high 42 minutes.
 
UW-Whitewater led by seven after one quarter, but the Eagles trimmed the advantage to 25-24 by the 7:10 mark of the second.
 
The Warhawks closed the first half on a 12-0 run that included points from six different players to take a 37-24 lead.
 
UW-Whitewater maintained its double-digit advantage until the 4:31 mark of the third quarter, when UW-La Crosse started on a 10-2 run to end the period.
 
The Eagles tied the contest at 55-55 with 3:28 remaining, and neither team scored again until overtime.
 
The Warhawks host UW-Eau Claire this Saturday at 3 p.m. on Alumni Day at Kachel Gymnasium.