WHITEWATER – The third-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team put its 3-point shooting on display Saturday in a 96-67 triumph over UW-Stout in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference affair at Kachel Gymnasium.
The Warhawks (12-2 overall, 5-0 WIAC), who have now won six consecutive games, knocked down 15-of-29 (51.7 percent) from 3-point range and 55 percent of their field goal attempts.
Senior guard Cody Odegaard hit eight 3-pointers en route to a season-high 26 points, which led all scorers.
Senior wing KJ Evans posted 18 points, including six free throws, and grabbed a team-best eight rebounds. Senior guard Quardell Young tallied 12 points, six rebounds and a career-high 11 assists.
Junior wing Xzavier Moananu added 11 points and a team-best three steals, while junior forward Ron Patten led the bench with eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
UW-Whitewater forced 19 turnovers and outscored UW-Stout 26-4 in points off turnovers.
The Blue Devils (3-11, 0-5) shot 41.1 percent from the floor and held a 16-6 advantage in offensive rebounds.
The Warhawks sprinted out to a 10-0 lead, scoring on four of their first five possessions and hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to open the contest.
After UW-Stout weathered the storm and got back to within single digits, UW-Whitewater pushed its lead to 32-13 at the 9:12 mark with a 13-0 spurt, highlighted by consecutive 3-pointers by Patten.
An 8-0 run by the Blue Devils made it 38-30 with 3:59 remaining in the half, but the Warhawks concluded the period with a 7-0 run to enter the locker room with a 48-32 lead.
UW-Stout got as close as 11 points in the second half, but UW-Whitewater continued its hot shooting, knocking down six more 3-pointers and 58.1 percent of its looks in the frame.
The Warhawks begin a stretch of playing four of their next five on the road Wednesday at UW-Eau Claire. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.