Sophomore guard Mary Merg scored the first twelve points for UW-W. Millikin withstood that barrage and tied the game at 21-21 with 5:40 left in the first half on a Brittany Czaplicki layup. UW-W responded with an 11-0 run for a 32-21 lead, but Millikin outscored the Warhawks 11-4 the rest of the way to cut the Whitewater lead to 36-32 at the half. Merg led all scorers with 16 points in the the first twenty minutes.
Robert, a senior guard, jump-started the Big Blue with a three-pointer to open the second half, and after a couple of UW-W fouls, Millikin took the lead, 39-38. The lead see-sawed back to Whitewater, and then back to Millikin on another Robert three at 11:19. With UW-W back in front 45-44, Robert drained another three to put Millikin in front. Whitewater would not lead again.
Cortney Kumerow completed an old fashioned three point play to knot the game at 61-61 with 4:56 left. Millikin edged in front 69-63, but Warhawk sophomore guard Kaitlyn Thill hit from beyond the arc to make it a three point game, 69-66 with 2:53 on the clock. Millikin scored again, but Merg's three-pointer kept UW-W within two, 71-69 at 1:41.
Although the action was back-and-forth, there was no more scoring until Robert hit one of two free throws for 72-69 lead with 0:17 left. Thill's driving layin brought UW-W within one, 72-71 with 0:14 remaining. Robert was fouled and made both free throws for a 74-71 Millikin lead at 0:10, but Jamie Swanson's long jumper looked like it might tie the game with five seconds left, but she was ruled to have a foot on the arc so UW-W trailed 74-73. Without a time out left, UW-W was forced to foul in a dead ball situation, by rules an intentional foul, and Crystal Zeigler made both free throws. Because it was an intentional foul Millikin also got the ball back, and UW-W's last foul sent Robert to the line for Millikin's last two points.
Millikin made three more three-pointers (10-18) than Whitewater (7-17), and the Big Blue went 18-23 from the line while UW-W was 12-14.
Merg led UW-W with a career high 27 points to lead both teams. Thill scored 15 and Kumerow 15. Swanson had six rebounds and five steals for Whitewater, and Merg topped the team with five assists. Robert topped the Big Blue with 19 points led four players in double figures. Nikki Tipsword had seven boards, and Beth Wellbaum dished out five assists.
UW-W is 2-1 overall, as is Millikin. The Warhawks will host Illinois Wesleyan University Wednesday at 6:00 in Kachel Gym of Williams Center.