The fifth-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team rode hot shooting and strong defense Wednesday night to defeat No. 7 UW-Oshkosh 83-57 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener for both teams in Oshkosh, Wis.
The Warhawks (11-1 overall, 1-0 WIAC) hit eight of their first nine 3-point attempts and finished 15-of-25 (60 percent) from distance for the game.
UW-Whitewater held the Titans (10-2, 0-1) to 36.2 percent from the floor, including a 4-of-21 performance from 3-point range, and converted 16 points off UW-Oshkosh's 14 turnovers.
Junior guard Mitchell Pfeifer hit six 3-pointers en route to a game-high 22 points to go along with six rebounds. Junior guard Andre Brown posted 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, and junior forward Derek Rongstad tallied 16 points, six rebounds and two steals.
Junior guard David Sachs recorded nine points and a game-high five assists, hitting 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
The Titans held a 12-11 advantage six minutes into the contest before the Warhawks scored eight straight points. Sophomore forward Riley Jensen capped the run with a layup to make it 19-12 with 11:30 on the clock.
UW-Whitewater extended its lead to double digits midway through the half thanks to a 3-pointer by junior forward Maurquis Turner, and led by no fewer than 10 the rest of the way.
Sachs hit a free throw with 14:16 to play in the second to give the Warhawks a 15-point lead. The advantage grew to 20 at the midway point of the half on two more free throws by Sachs.
The Warhawks took their largest lead of the game at 74-43 with 6:08 remaining on a 3-pointer by Turner.
UW-Whitewater faces its second straight top 10 ranked opponent this Saturday at 5 p.m., when it hosts defending WIAC champion and third-ranked UW-River Falls.