The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team opened the NCAA Division III Tournament with an 85-76 win over Loras College in St. Louis. The Warhawks led by 19 at halftime, holding off a late comeback by the Duhawks.

The Warhawks got off to a hot start out of the gates, exploding out to a 15-2 lead to start the game. The Duhawks were able to start getting some shots to fall, but the Warhawks kept the lead above double-digits the entire first half thanks to some early threes from Richie Warren (Racine, Wis./Park). Warren started the game 3-for-3 from behind the arc.

UWW put together an 8-0 run that, including back-to-back threes from Collin Madson (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) and Luke Bara (Muskego, Wis./Muskego). The Warhawks were able to extend their lead above 20-points, but a late 4-0 run by the Duhawks closed the gap to just 19-points at the break.

The Warhawks hit six of their 10 threes in the first half, with Loras shooting just 19% (3-for-16). 

To begin the second half, the Warhawks kept the foot on the gas, keeping a nearly 20-point margin for the first seven minutes of the half. Joey Berezowitz (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) hit a three-pointer to give the Warhawks a 23-point lead at the 14-minute mark.

The Warhawks took their biggest lead of the night at 24 points with a lay-up from Jake Quast (Hinsdale, Ill./Central) just under the 10-minute mark. Loras answered over the next four minutes with an 11-0 run to bring the lead back down to 11. 

Loras threatened to cut the lead to single digits, but was unable to do so until the very last shot of the game. 

Collin Madson (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) led the Warhawks with 21 points, converting on 10-of-12 free throw attempts. Madson also led the team in rebounds with nine.

Richie Warren (Racine, Wis./Park) & Luke Bara (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) each added 15 points. Warren tallied three blocks to protect the Warhawks' rim. 

Joey Berezowitz (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) added 8 points with an all-around stat line of 3 rebounds, 5 steals, and 5 assists. Isaac Verges (Franklin, Wis./Franklin) & Brock Marino (Lake Villa, Ill./Lakes Community) each added 7 points.

The Warhawks finished the game with a 62.2% field goal percentage (28-for-45) & 52.9% from deep (9-for-17). Loras converted on 40.7% of their shots (24-for-59) and 25.0% (8-for-32) from deep. 

The Warhawks will face the winner of WashU and Transylvania in the Second Round. Tip-off is scheduled for Saturday, March 7th at 7:35 PM.