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The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team begins postseason play Friday with a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship semifinal game against UW-La Crosse at 7 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium.

Tickets for Friday's game will be available at the door and cost $8 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and $3 for all students. Tournament programs will be available for purchase at $2 per book.
 
The Warhawks (20-5 overall), who enter the week ranked sixth in the NCAA Midwest Region rankings, finished second in the WIAC regular season standings with a 10-4 record to earn the tournament's No. 2 seed.
 
UW-La Crosse (16-10), the No. 4 seed, posted a 69-57 victory over fifth-seeded UW-Eau Claire on Wednesday night to advance to the semifinals for the third time in the program's history.
 
The winner of Friday's game moves onto the WIAC Championship final, which is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. at the highest remaining seed.
 
UW-Whitewater defeated the Eagles twice during the regular season, posting a 65-62 overtime victory on Jan. 4 in La Crosse and a 67-53 triumph on Jan. 28 in Whitewater. UW-Whitewater has won the last 11 games in the series.
 
The Warhawks opened the 2016-17 season with eight consecutive victories to extend their regular season winning streak against non-conference opponents to 20 games.
 
After suffering its first loss of the season at fellow unbeaten Augustana (Ill.) on Dec. 20, UW-Whitewater won eight more games consecutively, including a 55-50 triumph over regular season champion UW-Oshkosh on Jan. 18, before its streak was snapped in its first loss against the Pointers.
 
The Warhawks split the next four games in conference play before closing the regular season by winning two of three, including a critical 68-56 win at UW-Eau Claire on Saturday to wrap up sole possession of second place and clinch the No. 2 seed in this week's tournament.
 
UW-Whitewater enters the week as the conference's No. 1 scoring offense, averaging 67.1 points per contest. It also leads the league in free-throw percentage (73.7) and steals (243 / 9.72 per game), and is third in the WIAC in scoring defense, allowing 58.1 points per affair.
 
The Warhawks are led by their potent backcourt, which includes senior Reilly Stewart (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North), juniors Malia Smith (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) and Brooke Trewyn (Whitewater/Whitewater).
 
Trewyn ranks second in the conference in scoring at 14.8 points per game and is third in steals (43 / 1.79 spg), fourth in free-throw percentage (82.2), fifth in rebounding (6.7 rpg), sixth in assists (53 / 2.21 apg) and 10th in blocked shots (17).
 
Smith ranks ninth in the WIAC in scoring (12.4 ppg) and owns a league-best 73 steals (2.92 per game). She is also among leaders in rebounding (5.0 rpg), field goal percentage (40.7), assists (60 / 2.40 apg) and free-throw percentage (81.1).
 
Stewart also averages double figures in scoring with 10.9 points per contest. She is shooting a team-best 41.6 percent from the floor (minimum 3.0 FGs made per game) and 41.7 percent from 3-point range (minimum 1.0 made per game), and is the conference leader in free-throw percentage (84.6) and 3-pointers made (43 / 1.72 per game).
 
Freshman Becky Raeder (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) has started 22 games in the backcourt and is averaging 5.2 points per game and shooting 40 percent from 3-point range. Freshman Camri Conley (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland), a defensive specialist, has appeared in all 25 games and is averaging 2.2 points per contest.
 
Sophomores Becky Deichl (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville), Olivia Freckmann (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) and freshman Kaelynn Lesniak (Pewaukee, Wis./Lake Country Lutheran) lead the frontcourt.
 
Freckmann averages 5.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and is shooting 39.2 percent from the floor, while Deichl contributes 5.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per affair.
 
Lesniak leads the team with 20 blocks and is averaging 2.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
 
UW-Whitewater is making its ninth appearance all time in the WIAC Championship semifinals. The team owns a 4-4 record in those games, last reaching the semifinal round in 2014, when it was defeated by UW-Superior before later reaching the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament.