WHITEWATER – For the second consecutive game, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Quardell Young played the role of hero on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor in the closing seconds.
Young, a senior guard, drove for a lay-up to put the Warhawks ahead by one with 8.0 seconds on the clock, and blocked a game-winning shot attempt on the other end Saturday to send No. 1 ranked UW-Whitewater to a 68-67 victory over UW-LaCrosse in a highly-competitive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match-up at Kachel Gymnasium.
Just three days earlier, Young produced a carbon copy of Saturday's late play with a lay-up and block on the other end to help UW-Whitewater earn a 65-64 triumph at UW-Platteville.
With their 12th straight win, the Warhawks (18-2 overall, 11-0 WIAC) remained one game ahead of UW-Stevens Point for first place in the conference standings with just five games to play in the regular season.
Young led UW-Whitewater with a game-high 21 straight points to go along with team highs of seven assists and four steals. Senior wing KJ Evans contributed 17 points and a team-best eight rebounds, while senior guard Cody Odegaard tallied eight of his 11 points in the second half.
The Warhawks shot 55.1 percent for the game, including a 65.2 percent clip in the second half, while the Eagles (8-12, 3-8) converted 46.9 percent of their attempts and hit 13-of-26 from 3-point range.
UW-Whitewater countered UW-La Crosse's strong 3-point shooting with 40 points in the paint, compared to just 12 for the Eagles.
UW-La Crosse came out firing from 3-point range in the first half, knocking down five in the first seven minutes of action to take a 19-13 advantage with 13:16 left in the period.
The Eagles had seven 3-pointers by the 10:51 mark, when they led 25-18. UW-La Crosse took an eight-point lead, matching its largest of the half, with 3:31 on the clock, but Young scored the last five points of the half to trim the deficit to three heading into the locker room.
The Warhawks carried their momentum into the second half as a 3-pointer by Odegaard gave the team a 36-34 lead with 18:05 to play.
UW-Whitewater took a 46-40 advantage with 14:22 remaining after a steal and one-handed dunk by Young, and appeared to take control of the game by the 7:58 mark after a jumper by senior Rahjan Muhammad made it 58-50.
The Eagles tied the game at 58-58 by the 5:47 mark, but the Warhawks responded with an 8-2 run to make it 66-60 with 2:49 on the clock.
UW-La Crosse took the lead at 67-66 with 20 seconds left after tallying seven straight points.
On the next possession, Young drove right from the top of the key and finished off the glass with his inside hand.
Following a timeout by UW-Whitewater, the Eagles' Johnny Coenen drove right and tried an eight-foot jumper, but was rejected by Young as the buzzer sounded.
The Warhawks return to action next Saturday, Feb. 7, against UW-Eau Claire. Tip-off at Kachel Gymnasium is slated for 5 p.m.