The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team parlayed the momentum of a late first-half run into a strong second half Friday night in an 86-65 victory against Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) in a non-conference affair at Kachel Gymnasium.
Playing their 2021-22 home opener, the Warhawks (2-0 overall) outscored the Gusties 47-25 after halftime and shot 51.2 percent in the second half while holding Gustavus Adolphus to 38.5 percent from the floor in the period.
Gage Malensek (Brookfield, Wis./Central) posted a game-high 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting to go along with four steals.
Derek Gray (Madison, Wis./La Follette) collected 15 points, three assists and three steals, and
Elijah Lambert (Racine, Wis./St. Catherine's) finished with 11 points and four rebounds for UW-W, which out-scored the Gusties 58-32 in the paint, 11-4 on second-chance points and 17-6 on fast break points.
Gustavus Adolphus (0-1) took a 10-4 lead at the 17:27 mark of the opening half before UW-Whitewater scored seven straight points for an 11-10 advantage following a jumper by Malensek at the 16:27 mark.
A 3-point play by
Breontae Hunt (Milwaukee, Wis./Bay View) gave the Warhawks a 16-12 advantage just over five minutes in, but the Gusties rallied for 14 straight points to take a 26-16 advantage near the midway point of the half.
Gustavus Adolphus built its lead as high as 14 points before a 15-0 UW-W run gave it the lead following
Jack Brahm's (Bayside, Wis./Glendale Nicolet) layup with just under one minute left in the period. The Gusties scored on their final possession to take a 40-39 halftime lead.
UW-Whitewater tallied eight straight points to start the second half and never trailed again in the contest. Gustavus Adolphus cut its deficit to five points as late as the 12:55 mark, but the Warhawks pushed their advantage to double digits near the midway point of the half and didn't look back.
The Warhawks host No. 19 Whitworth (Wash.) Saturday at 7 p.m. inside Kachel Gymnasium. Fans are encouraged to donate gently used hats, gloves, mittens, coats, jackets and other items for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's winter clothing drive to support Bethel House of Whitewater.
