The No. 12 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team posted key defensive stops and hit critical shots late Friday night to hold off Calvin (Mich.) 68-63 in a non-conference affair at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
The Warhawks (6-0 overall) led by as many as 15 points in the second half and held a 13-point advantage midway through the period before the Knights chipped away at their deficit.
 
After a free throw by senior guard Dalton Menke (Rockford, Ill./Winnebago), UW-Whitewater led 61-52 with 3:51 to play, but was held scoreless over the next three minutes as Calvin (4-4) drew to within two points with 1:06 on the clock.
 
Senior guard David Sachs (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park) drove hard right for a layup with 39 seconds to play and hit two free throws 15 seconds later after the Knights had made it a one-possession game.
 
Calvin converted again on the other end, and senior guard Andre Brown (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) split a pair of free throws with 13 seconds remaining.
 
The Knights missed a 3-pointer on the other end, and Brown grabbed the rebound, drew a foul and hit both free throws with two-tenths of a second left to seal the victory.
 
Senior forward Melvin Brown Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Vincent) posted a team-high 19 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists. Sachs finished with 18 points, three assists and three rebounds, and Andre Brown (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) totaled 10 points and two rebounds.
 
Menke registered a game- and career-high 10 rebounds to go along with his eight points and two assists. Senior forward Derek Rongstad (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) recorded six points, five rebounds and four steals.
 
The Warhawks held the Knights to 39 percent shooting and hit 19-of-28 free throws on the offensive end, including 17-of-26 in the second half. UW-Whitewater outscored Calvin 15-4 in fast-break points.
 
In the first half, neither team led by more than four points in a back-and-forth opening 20 minutes. Andre Brown (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) converted a jumper in the paint with 2:00 to go in the half to give the Warhawks the lead into the break.
 
UW-Whitewater turns around for a second game against a Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association opponent Saturday at 4 p.m. against Alma (Mich.). The game is the second half of a women's/men's doubleheader at Kachel Gymnasium.