A huge 23-10 first quarter sway propelled the UW-Whitewater women's basketball team to a 74-62 win over UW-La Crosse in Kachel Gym Wednesday night. The game was the team's annual Play4Kay Night with multiple donation streams benefiting the Kay Yow Cancer Fund that awards grants towards life-saving cancer research and quality cancer healthcare for under-resourced women. 

The Eagles scored the first point of the game before the opening tip dropping in a free throw following an administrative technical foul. Following the jump ball, UWW rattled off the first 14 points holding UW-La Crosse scoress for over five minutes. By the end of the quarter, the 13-point lead was still in place and the Warhawks held the advantage the rest of the way. 

The score dipped to six with just under four minutes to play, 63-57, but Katie Hildebrandt (McFarland, Wis./McFarland) quickly pushed the margin back into double digits with a layup followed by a three-pointer. Kacie Carollo (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) sealed the game with a late jumper and four free throws in the final minute. 

The Warhawks set a furious pace early and used it to their advantage outscoring the Eagles by 20 in fastbreak points. UW-Whitewater's defense frustrated UWL's three-point shooters in the second half. After hitting 5-8 in the first 20 minutes of action, the Warhawk defense held La Crosse to just 1-9 from beyond the arc in the second half. 

Carollo led the way for UWW with 24 points bolstered by a perfect 7-7 performance from the charity stripe. She added five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals in the contest. Maggie Trautsch (Sun Prairie, Wis./DeForest) tallied a season-high 18 with 7 boards and 3 blocks. Hildebrandt also posted 18 on 6-10 from the floor and 5-6 from the free throw line. She registered a team high eight rebounds in the game.