The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team used strong late-game execution Saturday afternoon to secure a 79-77 victory at UW-Stout in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game in Menomonie, Wis.
 
Trailing by three with 1:25 to play, the Warhawks (15-8 overall, 4-8 WIAC) freed up senior guard Dalton Menke (Rockford, Ill./Winnebago), who entered the weekend as the WIAC leader in 3-point field goal percentage, for a game-tying 3-pointer with 52 seconds remaining to level the score at 77-77.
 
UW-Whitewater forced a missed 3-pointer on the other end, and senior guard Andre Brown (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) converted a runner with 4.9 seconds on the clock to put the team ahead.
 
After consecutive timeouts by the Blue Devils (6-17, 0-12), a 3-pointer hit the rim and bounced out as the Warhawks clinched their third true road win in conference play of the season.
 
Brown finished with a team-high 19 points to go along with three assists and two steals, and Menke collected 15 points on five made 3-pointers off the bench to go with six rebounds.
 
Senior guards Mitchell Pfeifer (Wales, Wis./Kettle Moraine) and David Sachs (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park) contributed 11 points apiece. Senior forward Melvin Brown Jr. (Milwaukee, Wis./Vincent) tallied eight points, five rebounds and two steals, and junior forward Riley Jensen (Milton, Wis./Janesville Craig) recorded six points and a team-high seven rebounds.
 
The two teams traded the lead over the first 10 minutes of action before UW-Stout opened up a 21-14 advantage at the 8:28 mark. UW-Whitewater responded, eventually tying the game at 30-30 with 2:29 on the clock on a 3-pointer by Menke and taking a 34-30 lead into halftime on free throws by Sachs and a layup at the buzzer by Jensen.
 
Senior forward Derek Rongstad (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) gave the Warhawks a six-point lead early in the second half before the Blue Devils posted a 10-0 run to take a 40-36 advantage with 16:58 to play.
 
UW-Whitewater stayed within seven points over the next eight minutes before tying the game and taking the lead on Brown's 3-point play at the 8:22 mark.
 
From there, the game was tied three more times before UW-Stout retook the lead and extended it out to five points with 4:28 remaining.
 
Menke hit a clutch 3-pointer on the next possession to bring the Warhawks within two, and Brown and Menke combined to score UW-Whitewater's final 16 points of the contest.
 
The Warhawks start the final week of the regular season Wednesday at home against UW-Platteville. Tipoff on All-American Night at Kachel Gymnasium is slated for 7 p.m.