The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team was unable to parlay a strong offensive performance into a victory Friday night, falling 87-80 at UW-Stout in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game.
 
The Warhawks (1-6 overall) play in the first round of the WIAC Championship this Monday at UW-River Falls starting at 6 p.m.
 
Gage Malensek (Brookfield, Wis./Central) tallied a season-high 34 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the floor to lead UW-Whiteawter. Dayne Armwald (Madison, Wis./West) recorded 14 points off the bench, and Breontae Hunt (Milwaukee, Wis./Bay View) collected 12 points and eight rebounds in a reserve role. Trevon Chislom (McFarland, Wis./McFarland) was also in double figures in scoring, totaling 10 points.
 
The Blue Devils (3-5) scored 22 second-chance points on 17 offensive rebounds, finishing the game with a 47-32 advantage on the glass.
 
The Warhawks overcame a slow start, falling behind 17-7 just over five minutes into the contest. A 3-pointer by Armwald brought UW-W to within 23-19 just past the midway point of the first half.
 
Malensek and Armwald helped UW-Whitewater stay within striking distance near the end of the first half, and a 3-pointer by Derek Gray (Madison, Wis./La Follette) in the final seconds brought the team to within 43-39 at halftime.
 
UW-Stout build its lead back up to eight by the 14:55 mark of the second half, but Gray's free throw just over three minutes later made it a one-possession game at 57-54.
 
The Warhawks finally took the lead at 72-71 with 5:25 on the clock after a 3-point play by Malensek. The Blue Devils quickly regained the advantage, but a layup by Malensek made gave UW-W the lead back at 76-75 with 4:10 remaining.
 
UW-Stout turned an offensive rebound into a 3-pointer on the next possession to take the lead before UW-Whitewater responded and tied the game at 80-80 following Malensek's layup with 1:40 to go.
 
From there, the Blue Devils hit a 3-pointer and held the Warhawks scoreless on UW-W's final four possessions of the game. UW-Stout hit 4-of-4 from the free-throw line over the final 19 seconds to clinch the result.