The No. 21 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team outscored 12th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan by 17 points in the second and third quarters combined Tuesday night in a 78-73 triumph in a non-conference affair in Bloomington, Ill.
The Warhawks (3-1 overall) shot 64.7 percent (11-of-17) in the third quarter to take a four-point lead into the fourth quarter, when the team scored the last seven points of the contest to emerge with a critical road win.
Junior guard
Becky Raeder (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) collected a career-high 21 points on 7-of-10 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line to lead UW-Whitewater, which made 15-of-16 foul shots, including 5-of-5 over the final 1:04 of regulation.
Senior forward
Sarah Schumacher (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) posted 16 points in 17 minutes of action, and senior forward
Olivia Freckmann (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) registered 10 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard
Emily Schumacher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha South) added nine points, and junior guard
Camri Conley (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) chipped in eight points, six rebounds and five assists.
The Titans (2-2) jumped out to a 10-2 lead three minutes into the game, built their lead to as many as 12 in the quarter and led by 11 heading into the second.
UW-Whitewater trimmed its deficit down to four by the 7:30 mark of the second quarter thanks to a 3-point play by Raeder, but Illinois Wesleyan bumped its advantage up to nine by the midway point of the period.
Junior guard
Megan Corcoran (Madison, Wis./LaFollette) hit a 3-pointer to make it a one-possession game with 1:36 left, and sophomore guard
Adriana Green (Racine, Wis./Horlick) hit a jumper in the waning moments to bring the team back within three at 37-34 at halftime.
The game was tied seven different times in the first seven minutes of the third quarter before six straight points by Freckmann gave the Warhawks a 60-54 advantage with 37 seconds to go. The Titans converted on their final possession to draw within four at the close of the third.
UW-Whitewater held a slim lead over the first five minutes, 31 seconds of the fourth quarter thanks to five points in the early going by
Sarah Schumacher (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater).
The two teams traded the lead four more times over the next three minutes, 30 seconds, and the game was tied at 73-73 with 1:04 on the clock, the contest's 10th tie.
Emily Schumacher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha South) finished her 3-point play with a free throw to give the Warhawks the lead for good, and Raeder hit four free throws over the final 25 seconds. UW-Whitewater held the Titans without a field goal over the final four minutes of the affair and scoreless over the last one minute, 49 seconds.
The Warhawks return to action Wednesday, Nov. 28, at Augustana. Tipoff in Rock Island, Ill., is set for 5 p.m.