The No. 19 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team closed out the Hoop 'N Surf Tournament by defeating Spalding (Ky.) 66-41 on Friday in Honolulu, Hawaii.
 
This win marks six in a row for the Warhawks, as they improve their season record to 7-1.
 
UW-Whitewater worked quickly in the first quarter as they scored nine unanswered points in a three minute timeframe. The rally began with Veronica Kieres' (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) layup with 8:00 on the clock. The team did not let Spalding get within three points as they wrapped up the quarter with a 14-10 lead.
 
Kieres continued her strong offensive showing, recording the first four points of the second quarter. The Warhawks showed their separation skills as Becky Raeder (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) hit a three-pointer with 8:02 on the clock and Yssa Sto. Domingo (Streamwood, Ill./St. Edward) found her second three-pointer of the game with 2:46 until the half. Aleah Grundahl's (DeForest, Wis./DeForest) layup with :34 seconds left on the clock gave the team a 28-19 advantage heading into halftime.
 
UW-W continued to build its lead in the third quarter, finding an eight-point run beginning with Courtney Oomens' (Lake Geneva, Wis./Badger) jumper with 5:04 on the clock. Four of the other points came from taking advantage of free throw opportunities.
 
Abby Belschner (Grafton, Wis./Cedarburg) found a pair of layups to start the fourth quarter. The Warhawks ran away with the game in the final three minutes of play. They ended the quarter with 20 points, their highest of the day to win the game 66-41.
 
Freshman Aleah Grundahl (DeForest, Wis./DeForest) led the team with 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Kieres scored nine points while Emily Schumacher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha South) and Johanna Taylor (Wauwatosa, Wis./East) each tallied eight points.
 
UW-Whitewater will be back in Wisconsin at the end of the month for the JustAGame Fieldhouse Tournament. They will face Saint Mary's (Minn.) on Dec. 29 and St. Thomas (Minn.) on Dec. 30. Both games are slated for 1 p.m.