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The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team looks to continue the momentum from a key road win from over the weekend this week as it hits the midway point of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference season.
The Warhawks (13-4 overall, 2-4 WIAC), who are receiving votes in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25, visit UW-Platteville Wednesday at 7 p.m. to complete the first round of games against conference foes. The team concludes the week and kicks off the second half of the league slate Saturday at 5 p.m. as it hosts UW-La Crosse on Alumni Day at Kachel Gymnasium.
UW-Whitewater split two game last week, falling 82-75 Wednesday at home against fifth-ranked UW-Oshkosh before earning an 87-85 victory at UW-River Falls to snap an eight-game losing streak against the Falcons.
Senior forward
Melvin Brown Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Vincent) scored a game-high 27 points against the Titans, and senior guard
Andre Brown (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) tallied 18 points, seven rebounds and two steals, becoming the 29th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points with a jumper in the first half. The team was within one possession in the final minute of regulation, but UW-Oshkosh hit 5-of-6 free throws over the final 36 seconds to hold on for the win.
The Warhawks rebounded Saturday with a thrilling win at UW-River Falls, erasing a six-point deficit over the final five minutes of the contest. Brown collected a team-best 24 points, including a critical 3-pointer that put the team ahead by four with 1:08 remaining. Senior guard
Dalton Menke (Rockford, Ill./Winnebago) posted 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range, junior guard
Tywon Bressler (Milwaukee, Wis./Dominican) contributed 11 points and four assists and Brown Jr. totaled 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
Wednesday – at UW-Platteville, 7 p.m. (Platteville, Wis.)
UW-Platteville (11-6, 4-2) have won four straight games entering the week, including a 61-60 triumph at then-No. 9 UW-Stevens Point on Saturday. Clay Gerds put the team ahead for good on a putback dunk with two seconds to play, and the Pointers committed a turnover on their final possession.
Robert Duax leads the Pioneers in scoring with 17.4 points per game to go along with a team-high 29 steals. Quentin Shields averages 14.8 points per game and owns a team-high 47 assists, and Carter Voelker enters the week with 13.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest.
UW-Platteville owns a 107-105 edge in the all-time series between the two teams and swept last season's home-and-home. The Pioneers bested the Warhawks 84-67 on Jan. 24, 2018, in Whitewater, and added a 70-66 win on Feb. 14, 2018, in Platteville. Brown led UW-Whitewater in the most recent game with 16 points, while
Riley Jensen (Milton, Wis./Janesville Craig) and
David Sachs (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park) recorded 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Saturday – vs. UW-La Crosse, 5 p.m. (Kachel Gymnasium)
The Eagles (12-5, 5-1) suffered their first conference loss Saturday, falling 72-66 at No. 5 UW-Oshkosh. They host UW-River Falls Wednesday before heading to Whitewater this Saturday.
Ben Meinholz and Brendon Manning each average double figures in scoring to lead UW-La Crosse. Meinholz is averaging 14.6 points per affair and leads the team in assists (53), blocks (19) and steals (35), while Manning averages 13.2 points and a team-high 9.1 rebounds per contest entering the week.
On Jan. 12, the Eagles outscored the Warhawks 50-30 in the second half on the way to a 75-60 win in La Crosse. Brown paced UW-Whitewater with 17 points, and Brown Jr. contributed 13 points.
The Warhawks lead the all-time series between the two teams, 84-49.
