The No. 15 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team coupled a strong performance in the paint with efficient second-half shooting Tuesday night to pick up a 92-65 victory over Beloit in a non-conference contest at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
The Warhawks (5-0 overall) scored 52 points in the paint compared to 30 for the Buccaneers and shot 66.7 percent in the second half and 16-of-20 from the free-throw line in the period.
 
Senior wing Malik Clements (Fitchburg, Wis./Madison West) posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead UW-Whitewater. Senior forward Melvin Brown collected 16 points, and junior forward Riley Jensen (Milton, Wis./Janesville Craig) also finished in double figures in scoring with 10 points to go along with three rebounds.
 
Senior guards Andre Brown (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail), Mitchell Pfeifer (Wales, Wis./Kettle Moraine) and David Sachs (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park) contributed eight points apiece. Junior guard Tywon Bressler (Milwaukee, Wis./Dominican) also recorded eight points.
 
The Warhawks forced 16 turnovers by Beloit (2-3) while finishing with only nine on their end of the floor.
 
UW-Whitewater never trailed in the affair, but Beloit stayed within one or two possessions for a majority of the first half. The Warhawks grabbed their largest lead at eight points on two different occasions – once following a Jensen basket at the 13:15 mark, and the other after Bressler's layup with 11:10 remaining.
 
UW-Whitewater took its first double-digit lead of the game at 46-36 with 16:29 left in the second half. From there, the team never led by fewer than 10 points.
 
The Warhawks took their largest advantage of the game at 88-59 with 1:18 to go following a pair of free throws by junior center Noah Kaminski (Hartford, Wis./Hartford Union).
 
UW-Whitewater resumes non-conference action next Friday, Dec. 7, against Alma (Mich.). Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium.