The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team overcame a slow start Friday night to defeat UW-Stevens Point 64-50 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game inside Kachel Gymnasium.
The Warhawks (2-0 overall, 2-0 WIAC) forced 24 turnovers and held the Pointers to 36.4 percent shooting from the field. UW-W was outscored 19-11 in the second quarter and trailed 28-22 at halftime, but outscored UW-Stevens Point by a 20-point margin in the second half.
Aleah Grundahl (DeForest, Wis./DeForest) led UW-W in scoring for the second straight game, posting 16 points to go with four rebounds and two steals.
Johanna Taylor (Wauwatosa, Wis./East) registered a double-double and nearly had a triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocks, tied for the seventh-most in one game in program history.
Maggie Trautsch (Sun Prairie, Wis./DeForest) collected nine points off the bench, and
Rebekah Schumacher (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) finished with eight points.
Veronica Kieres (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) recorded seven points and six rebounds to go along with team highs of three assists and four steals.
UW-Whitewater was held scoreless until the 2:39 mark of the first quarter, when a jumper by
Emily Schumacher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha South) sparked an 11-3 run to end the frame.
UW-Stevens Point (0-2, 0-2) regained the advantage early in the second and led by as many as 11 in the quarter, but Grundahl converted a layup and Kieres banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to bring the Warhawks within six.
UW-Whitewater drew to within a basket with 6:34 to play in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by
Emily Schumacher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha South). Kieres gave the team the lead for good with a pair of free throws at the 1:20 mark of the period, and
Rebekah Schumacher (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) knocked down a 3-pointer in the final minute to give UW-W a four-point advantage.
The Warhawks' lead ballooned to 12 near the midway point of the fourth quarter, and the team led by as many as 17 in the period.
UW-Whitewater held a 21-13 advantage in points off turnovers, including a 10-5 margin in the second half.
The Warhawks host UW-Oshkosh Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium.
