The No. 5 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team shot 50 percent from the field and finished with a 34-12 advantage on points in the paint Friday night in a 78-61 victory over Caltech in a non-conference affair at the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif.
 
The Warhawks (5-0 overall) hit 27-of-54 from the field for the game, including 9-of-21 from 3-point range, and forced 17 turnovers while holding Caltech to 34 percent from the floor.
 
UW-Whitewater pulled away from the Beavers (0-4) with a 15-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half and continued the momentum early in the second half with a 10-2 spurt over the first four minutes, 40 seconds of the period.
 
Junior guard Mitchell Pfefier totaled a team-high 18 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals. Junior forward Derek Rongstad (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) collected 17 points, five rebounds and two steals, and junior guard Dalton Menke (Rockford, Ill./Winnebago) posted 13 points.
 
The Warhawks led 11-5 through the first six minutes of play, but Caltech fought back to grab a 17-15 advantage midway through the half.
 
The Beavers led by as many as three points before Pfeifer hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the UW-Whitewater run into halftime.
 
The Warhawks took a 44-26 lead at the 15:20 mark of the second half after a 3-pointer by Menke and led by as many as 28 points in the frame.
 
UW-Whitewater concludes play in California Saturday at 9 p.m. Central Time against Redlands.