The No. 18 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team made its trademark third-quarter push and executed in the final minute of the game Saturday in a 61-58 triumph at UW-Eau Claire in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown in Eau Claire, Wis.
 
The Warhawks (16-3 overall, 6-2 WIAC), who are outscoring their opponents by nearly 100 points in the third quarter this season, turned a 33-33 tie into a 46-35 advantage late in the third and hit 6-of-6 from the free-throw line over the final 46 seconds of regulation. The team remained tied for first in the conference standings with UW-Oshkosh thanks to the victory.
 
Senior guard Malia Smith (Bolingbrook, Ill./Neuqua Valley) tallied a team-high 17 points and hit 8-of-8 at the free-throw line, including four in the final minute of the contest. She added two assists, three rebounds and three steals.
 
Senior forward Andrea Meinert (West Bend, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) posted 12 points, two assists and three steals, and sophomore guard Camri Conley (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) registered 10 points. Senior guard Brooke Trewyn (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) totaled a game-high four blocks and added two steals to help UW-Whitewater force 26 turnovers.
 
In the first half, the two teams combined for 24 turnovers, but the Warhawks knocked down five 3-pointers to hold a four-point halftime advantage.
 
The Blugolds (13-6, 5-3) jumped out to a 9-5 lead past the midway point of the first quarter, but Smith hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to bring UW-Whitewater within one with 2:09 on the clock. Junior forward Olivia Freckmann (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) hit a jumper with 19 seconds left to break a 15-15 tie and give the Warhawks the lead heading into the second.
 
UW-Whitewater started the second on an 8-2 run, including 3-pointers by Smith and sophomore guard Becky Raeder (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls), to take a 23-15 advantage with 8:33 remaining. The Warhawks led by 10 after a layup by junior forward Becky Deichl (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) at the 4:31 mark, but UW-Eau Claire closed the quarter on an 8-2 run to narrow its deficit to 31-27 by halftime.
 
The two teams traded the lead over the first three minutes of the second half. Junior forward Sarah Schumacher (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) started UW-Whitewater's 13-2 run with a jumper, and Conley capped it with a layup at the 1:19 mark of the third.
 
The Warhawks remained by 11 early in the fourth before the Blugolds narrowed their deficit to 51-47 midway through the period.
 
UW-Eau Claire ripped off a 7-0 run starting with 3:01 to play to take a 56-55 advantage with 1:14 remaining. On the next possession, Smith hit two free throws to give the team the lead back, and UW-Whitewater forced a turnover on the other end.
 
The Blugolds needed to foul three times to send the Warhawks to the free-throw line, where Meinert hit a pair with 19 seconds left to make it 59-56.
 
After a layup on the other end, Smith made it a three-point game again with two free throws. UW-Eau Claire missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
 
UW-Whitewater returns home to face UW-Stevens Point Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium.