WHITEWATER – The No. 1 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team clinched its fourth straight and seventh 20-win season in the last eight years Saturday with a convincing 85-66 triumph over UW-River Falls in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Kachel Gymnasium.
Trailing 35-32 at halftime, the Warhawks (20-3 overall, 13-1 WIAC) started the second half with a 23-0 burst in just over five minutes, taking a 55-35 advantage following an alley-oop from senior guard Quardell Young to junior forward Ron Patten with 14:58 on the clock.
With the win over the third-place Falcons (10-13, 8-6), UW-Whitewater moves into a tie for first place in the conference standings with UW-Stevens Point, which hosts UW-Stout later tonight.
The Warhawks scored 53 points and shot 60 percent (18-of-30) from the field in the second half. UW-Whitewater finished the game shooting 48.4 percent from the floor and held UW-River Falls to 38.3 percent.
Senior guard Cody Odegaard tallied 14 of his team-high 19 points in the second half. Senior forward Steve Egan posted 16 points and team bests of nine rebounds and three blocks.
Senior guard Quardell Young flirted with a triple double, totaling 15 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Junior forward Ron Patten registered 14 points and five rebounds, and senior guard Rahjan Muhammad was also in double figures with 10 points, all in the second half.
Egan's first career 3-pointer on his first career attempt from long range capped a 7-0 run that gave UW-Whitewater a 19-9 lead just over 10 minutes into the first half.
The Falcons responded with a 14-4 run to take their first lead of the affair at 23-22 with 6:55 on the clock.
The Warhawks retook the lead and increased their advantage all the way up to five points, but UW-River Falls ended the half on an 8-0 spurt to enter the locker room with a three-point lead.
Egan scored on UW-Whitewater's first possession of the second half, and the Warhawks didn't look back, finding the bottom of the net on 14 of their first 15 trips down the floor in the period.
At one point during the run, Patten and Young converted consecutive alley-oop dunks. Young followed his dunk with a steal and a 3-pointer on the other end to give UW-Whitewater a 22-point lead, its largest of the game to that point, at the 13:57 mark.
The Warhawks took their largest advantage of the contest at 79-53 following back-to-back 3-pointers by Muhammad, the second coming with 7:03 remaining in the game.
UW-Whitewater converted 17 points off 15 turnovers by the Falcons.
Prior to the game, the program was honored by State Representative Andy Jorgensen with a resolution to commend the team's 2014 national championship.
The program's alumni and several local Special Olympians were also recognized as part of the day's festivities.
The Warhawks finish their regular season home schedule Wednesday against UW-Oshkosh at 7 p.m. All fans are encouraged to wear white and "white out" Kachel Gymnasium on Senior Night.