The No. 11 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team rode solid defense and timely offense Tuesday night to a 66-50 triumph over Monmouth (Ill.) in a non-conference game at Kachel Gymnasium.
The Warhawks (3-0 overall) held the Scots to 32.8 percent shooting (19-of-58) in the contest, including a 21.9 percent mark in the first half, and finished with a 22-5 advantage in points off turnovers.
Junior guards
Andre Brown (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) and
Dalton Menke (Rockford, Ill./Winnebago) tied for the team lead with 13 points apiece. Junior forward
Derek Rongstad (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) posted seven points and a team-high nine rebounds, and junior guard
Mitchell Pfeifer (Wales, Wis./Kettle Moraine) contributed seven points and five rebounds for UW-Whitewater, which shot 49.1 percent (26-of-53) for the game.
Neither team led by more than one possession until midway through the first half, when Brown gave the Warhawks a 14-10 lead with 10:40 remaining.
Brown's bucket was part of a 14-0 run by UW-Whitewater that was capped by five straight points by Menke, including a 3-pointer that put the team ahead 13-10 with 7:10 to play in the period.
Menke hit another 3-pointer one minute later to give the Warhawks a 14-point advantage, and UW-Whitewater took its largest lead of the half in its final minute following a layup by senior guard
Jerry Ngobi (Janesville, Wis./Janesville Craig).
UW-Whitewater never allowed its lead below double digits in the second half. Monmouth (2-1) got as close as 11 points with 13:15 on the clock, but Pfeifer hit a 3-pointer on the next possession, and Ngobi converted a steal and layup to push the advantage back to 16 by the 12:28 mark.
The Scots close to within 11 again midway through the half, but Brown, who finished with 11 points in the half, knocked down a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession.
Tuesday's victory extended the Warhawks' regular season, non-conference winning streak to 20 games.
UW-Whitewater closes its four-game home stand this Saturday against Anderson (Ind.). Tipoff at Kachel Gymnasium is slated for 3 p.m.
