The No. 14 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team erased a deficit that reached as many as eight points in the second half Saturday afternoon but was outlasted 66-62 against UW-La Crosse in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest on Alumni Day at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
Trailing 53-45 with 6:04 to play in the fourth quarter, the Warhawks (14-3 overall, 4-2 WIAC) charged back with a 12-2 run, taking a 57-55 advantage after a free throw by senior guard Brooke Trewyn (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) with 2:23 on the clock.
 
The Eagles (11-6, 4-2) tallied a 7-0 run over the next one minute, 19 seconds, grabbing a five-point lead with 42 seconds remaining.
 
Senior forward Andrea Meinert (West Bend, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) brought UW-Whitewater within one possession after two free throws with 27 seconds left, but UW-La Crosse hit a free throw on the next possession and the Warhawks were unable to respond on the offensive end.
 
Trewyn knocked down four 3-pointers and finished 9-of-18 from the field en route to a game-high 23 points to go along with seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Meinert collcted 11 points, five rebounds, six assists, four blocks and two steals. Senior guard Malia Smith (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) and sophomore guard Camri Conley (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) each posted seven points and three assists.
 
UW-Whitewater tied a season high with 18 assists against only seven turnovers, but was held to 37.7 percent shooting from the floor, including a 32.4 percent clip in the first half.
 
The Warhawks started the game on an 8-1 run over the first two minutes, 11 seconds, but UW-La Crosse responded with seven straight points, and neither team led by more than two points over the remainder of the first quarter.
 
The Eagles outscored UW-Whitewater 16-8 in the second quarter to take a 28-22 halftime lead as the Warhawks were held scoreless over the final four minutes, nine seconds of the period.
 
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Conley and Trewyn tied the game at 30-30 with 7:31 left in the third quarter, but UW-La Crosse held the lead over the final half of the frame and led by four entering the fourth.
 
UW-Whitewater closed to 47-45 two minutes into the fourth on a transition layup by sophomore forward Nikki Foster (Janesville, Wis./Craig), but the Eagles built the lead up to eight on a 3-pointer and a 3-point play.

The Warhawks recognized all alumni in attendance at halftime of the contest as well as the 10th anniversary of the team's 2008 run to the Final Four. The 2008 Warhawks won a school record 29 games, won the program's first conference championship in 22 years and placed third in the nation after reaching the Final Four for the first time since classifying to NCAA Division III.
 
The Warhawks continue WIAC play when they visit UW-Platteville Wednesday at 7 p.m.