The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team took advantage of an early lead with strong second-half shooting Wednesday night in an 83-70 victory against UW-Stevens Point in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Kachel Gymnasium.
 
The Warhawks (4-2 overall, 1-0 WIAC) led by as many as 17 in the first half and held a 13-point advantage at halftime, and shot 63.3 percent (19-of-30) from the floor in the second to maintain the lead.
 
UW-W outrebounded UW-Stevens Point 44-25, including a 15-9 edge on the offensive glass, and held a 52-30 margin on points in the paint.
 
Derek Gray (Madison, Wis./La Follette) tallied a game-high 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting to go with four rebounds. Gage Malensek (Brookfield, Wis./Central) posted 11 points and five assists, while Jameer Barker (Racine, Wis./St. Catherine's) collected 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
 
Trevon Chislom (McFarland, Wis./McFarland) led the frontcourt with 10 points to go along with two blocks, and Breontae Hunt (Milwaukee, Wis./Bay View) and Carter Capstran (Franklin, Wis./Franklin) each finished with eight points and combined for 10 rebounds.
 
UW-Whitewater held a 9-1 lead just under three minutes into the contest and didn't look back.
 
The Pointers (3-3, 0-1) narrowed the deficit to five, but the Warhawks ran off 10 straight points leading up to the midway point of the first half for a 22-7 advantage.
 
UW-W's lead increased to 17 by the 7:33 mark following a 3-pointer by JT Hoytink (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Sussex Hamilton). UW-Stevens Point hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the period to draw within 40-27.
 
The Pointers closed to five just under five minutes into the second half, but the Warhawks responded with a 9-1 run, pushing the lead back to 13 with 12:12 remaining after a dunk by Chislom.
 
UW-Whitewater's lead never fell below double digits the rest of the way. The Warhawks matched their largest lead of the game at 77-58 with 3:44 left on a highlight-reel alley-oop from Barker to Chislom.
 
UW-Whitewater continues WIAC play Saturday at home against UW-Stout. Tipoff at Kachel Gymnasium is slated for 5 p.m.