The No. 15 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team coupled a strong performance in the paint with efficient second-half shooting Tuesday night to pick up a 92-65 victory over Beloit in a non-conference contest at Kachel Gymnasium.
The Warhawks (5-0 overall) scored 52 points in the paint compared to 30 for the Buccaneers and shot 66.7 percent in the second half and 16-of-20 from the free-throw line in the period.
Senior wing Malik Clements posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead UW-Whitewater. Senior forward Melvin Brown collected 16 points, and junior forward Riley Jensen also finished in double figures in scoring with 10 points to go along with three rebounds.
Senior guards Andre Brown, Mitchell Pfeifer and David Sachs contributed eight points apiece. Junior guard Tywon Bressler also recorded eight points.
The Warhawks forced 16 turnovers by Beloit (2-3) while finishing with only nine on their end of the floor.
UW-Whitewater never trailed in the affair, but Beloit stayed within one or two possessions for a majority of the first half. The Warhawks grabbed their largest lead at eight points on two different occasions – once following a Jensen basket at the 13:15 mark, and the other after Bressler's layup with 11:10 remaining.
UW-Whitewater took its first double-digit lead of the game at 46-36 with 16:29 left in the second half. From there, the team never led by fewer than 10 points.
The Warhawks took their largest advantage of the game at 88-59 with 1:18 to go following a pair of free throws by junior center Noah Kaminski.
UW-Whitewater resumes non-conference action next Friday, Dec. 7, against Alma (Mich.). Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium.