WHITEWATER – The second-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team combined superb shooting with tenacious defense at the other end Wednesday night to defeat No. 15 UW-Stevens Point 59-44 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown at Kachel Gymnasium.

Playing in front of a large, boisterous crowd, the Warhawks (15-2 overall, 8-0 WIAC) jumped out to an 11-2 lead through the first three minutes of play and didn't look back.

UW-Whitewater shot 55.3 percent from the floor and held the Pointers (13-4, 7-1) to 33.3 percent to take sole possession of first place in the WIAC half way through the conference season.

Senior guard Cody Odegaard led the Warhawks, who have now won nine straight games, with 18 points, while senior wing KJ Evans tallied 14 points to go along with five rebounds.

Senior guard Quardell Young registered his second double-double of the season with 11 points, 10 assists and two steals. Senior forward Steve Egan added 11 points and a team-best six rebounds.

UW-Whitewater took its first double-digit lead at the 13:18 mark of the first half, moving ahead 21-10 following a lay-up by Young. UW-Stevens Point responded with an 11-2 run to cut its deficit to 23-21 with 5:44 remaining in the first.

Egan helped the Warhawks increase their lead back to seven with 1:59 on the clock after drawing fouls on consecutive made baskets. A pair of Pointer free throws made the score 30-25 entering the locker room.

UW-Whitewater then started the second half in the same manner it started the first.

After a bucket by UW-Stevens Point cut the Warhawks' lead to three, 3-pointers by Young and Odegaard powered an 8-0 run to make it 38-27 with 17:47 to play.

From there, UW-Whitewater never trailed by fewer than nine points, holding the Pointers – who entered the game leading the league in field goal percentage – to just 27.3 percent shooting (6-of-22) in the second period.

UW-Stevens Point held a 12-3 advantage in offensive rebounds, while the Warhawks outscored the Pointers 15-5 off turnovers.

UW-Whitewater begins the second half of its WIAC slate this Saturday at UW-Superior. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.