The No. 14 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team looks to rebound from a tough opening week in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with games this Wednesday and Saturday.
The Warhawks (11-2 overall, 0-2 WIAC) host UW-Stout Wednesday at 7 p.m. before visiting UW-La Crosse Saturday for a 7 p.m. tipoff in La Crosse.
UW-Whitewater was unable to find an offensive rhythm in its conference opener Wednesday at 12th-ranked UW-Stevens Point, falling 64-51. Senior forward
Derek Rongstad (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) and senior guard
David Sachs (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park) tallied 11 points apiece to lead the Warhawks, who were limited to 36.2 percent shooting and 4-of-23 from 3-point range.
On Saturday, UW-Whitewater held an eight-point lead early in the second half but was unable to sustain the advantage in a 69-65 setback against UW-Eau Claire. Sachs posted 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals, and senior guard
Mitchell Pfeifer (Wales, Wis./Kettle Moraine) totaled 14 points and five rebounds.
In The Rankings
After entering the top 10 prior to the holidays, the Warhawks dipped four spots to No. 14 in the D3hoops.com Men's Top 25. Other ranked WIAC teams include No. 5 UW-Oshkosh and No. 9 UW-Stevens Point.
Wednesday – vs. UW-Stout, 7 p.m. (Kachel Gymnasium)
UW-Stout (6-7, 0-2) enters the week on a three-game losing streak, including a 92-72 loss at UW-La Crosse last Wednesday and a 77-75 setback at home against UW-Oshkosh on Saturday. The Blue Devils led the sixth-ranked Titans by five with 1:57 to play in regulation before UW-Oshkosh finished the contest on a 7-0 run.
John Keefe leads UW-Stout with 22.0 points per contest, and Jon Ciriacks (15.0 points per game) and Luke Geiger (10.8 ppg) also average double figures. Ciriacks leads the team in shooting percentage (55.7) and rebounding (7.8 per game).
UW-Whitewater leads the all-times series against UW-Stout, 81-43, and has won the last 10 meetings in the series. The Warhawks bested the Blue Devils 74-55 in the most recent game on Feb. 3, 2018. Pfeifer registered a game-high 22 points, and
Dalton Menke (Rockford, Ill./Winnebago) added 20 points in the contest as UW-Whitewater held UW-Stout to 31.6 percent shooting.
Saturday – at UW-La Crosse, 7 p.m.
UW-La Crosse (9-4, 2-0) is off to an unbeaten start in conference play, posting victories over UW-Stout (92-72) and at UW-Platteville (80-76) last week.
Brandon Manning and Ben Meinholz lead the Eagles in scoring at 13.8 and 12.5 points per game, respectively. Manning leads UW-La Crosse in rebounding with 8.8 per game, and Meinholz leads the team in assists (40), blocks (17) and steals (24).
UW-Whitewater and UW-La Crosse split a pair of games last season, with the road team winning each time. In the most recent meeting on Feb. 17, 2018, the Warhawks committed 28 turnovers in a 60-55 defeat.
Andre Brown (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) posted 14 points, and Pfeifer added 11 points. UW-Whitewater claimed a 67-64 victory in overtime in the other meeting last season on Jan. 20, 2018, in La Crosse.
Derek Rongstad (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) registered a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
UW-La Crosse starts the week Wednesday at UW-Eau Claire.
