The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team came up just short in its comeback attempt Saturday night, falling 80-79 against No. 19 ranked Whitworth (Wash.) in a non-conference affair at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
Trailing 67-52 just before the midway point of the second half, the Warhawks (2-1 overall) chipped away at the deficit, drawing to within 68-62 at the 7:40 mark following a putback layup by Jack Brahm (Bayside, Wis./Glendale Nicolet).
 
UW-Whitewater got it down to a single possession at 71-68 with 4:55 remaining after a layup by Elijah Lambert (Racine, Wis./St. Catherine's).
 
From there the two teams traded buckets, but the Pirates (3-1) never let go of the lead.
 
Derek Gray (Madison, Wis./La Follette) made it a one-point game with 1:26 on the clock and, after a putback by Whitworth on the other end, brought UW-W back to within one with 39 seconds to play.
 
The Warhawks got the defensive stop they needed on the ensuing possession, but their last-second shot wouldn't go.
 
Gray led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting to go along with five rebounds and four steals. Gage Malensek (Brookfield, Wis./Central) posted 12 points, five assists and three rebounds, while Trevon Chislom (McFarland, Wis./McFarland) collected 10 points and five rebounds.
 
Lambert tallied nine points and six rebounds, and Breontae Hunt (Milwaukee, Wis./Bay View) totaled nine points and a team-best eight rebounds (five offensive) off the bench. Jack Brahm (Bayside, Wis./Glendale Nicolet) finished with six points, five rebounds and three blocks in 34 minutes off the bench.
 
UW-Whitewater held advantages in points in the paint (54-40) and second-chance points (18-13), but the Pirates converted 21-of-30 from the free-throw line compared to 13-of-17 for the Warhawks.
 
UW-W led 18-9 just over seven minutes into the game, but Whitworth slowly erased the deficit and took a 33-31 lead at the 3:21 mark of the first half. Jameer Barker (Racine, Wis./St. Catherine's) gave the Warhawks a 37-35 advantage with 1:44 remaining, but the Pirates scored the last five points of the period for a 40-37 halftime lead.
 
Whitworth built its lead to double digits at 55-45 with 15:22 to play, and continued to lead by double digits over the next six minutes until UW-Whitewater was into its comeback attempt.
 
The Warhawks return to competition Nov. 23 with a game at Viterbo. Tipoff in La Crosse, Wis., is set for 7 p.m.