The No. 15 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team jumped out to a big lead in the second half and hung on with clutch play in the final two minutes Saturday night, defeating UW-Stevens Point 69-63 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Kachel Gymnasium.

The Warhawks (11-2 overall, 2-0 WIAC) built a 53-34 lead by the 7:32 mark of the second half thanks to an 18-0 run, but the Pointers (7-6, 0-2) responded with a 21-4 spurt over the next five-plus minutes to make it 57-55 with 2:01 on the clock.

Freshman guard Andre Brown then took control for UW-Whitewater, tallying the team's next eight points. His first six – on back-to-back driving layups and a pair of free throws – gave the team a 63-55 advantage with 43 seconds remaining.

UW-Stevens Point drew to within two again with 16 seconds left, but Brown was fouled two seconds later and hit two more free throws to make it a two-possession game.

The Pointers missed a layup on the other end, and junior guard Drew Bryson knocked down a pair from the line with two seconds to play to ice the contest for the Warhawks, who extended their win streak to eight.

Senior guard Trinson White led all scorers with 21 points to go along with a team-high 13 rebounds for his third straight double-double and fifth of the year. He also blocked a pair of shots.

Brown and junior forward Cole Van Schyndel registered 11 points apiece, and junior guard Haki Stampley and sophomore guard Jerry Ngobi each collected 10 points. Bryson grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds.

UW-Whitewater shot 55.6 percent from the floor and 18-of-20 from the free-throw line while holding UW-Stevens Point to 38.3 percent and 12-of-15 in the same categories. The Warhawks outscored the Pointers 44-26 in the paint.

UW-Stevens Point scored the first seven points of the affair and led 13-7 with 13:39 to play in the first half. Brown converted a 3-point play at the 9:50 mark to tie it at 16-16.

UW-Whitewater took its first lead of the half at 24-23 following a pair of free throws by Ngobi with 3:31 remaining in the period.

Stampley and White extended the Warhawks' lead to 28-23, and the Pointers hit a jumper in the waning seconds to cut their deficit to three heading into the locker room.

UW-Whitewater's early second-half run was highlighted by an alley-oop in transition from Stampley to White. It gave the team a 50-34 advantage with just over nine minutes left.

The Warhawks continue WIAC play Wednesday against UW-River Falls. Tipoff at Kachel Gymnasium is slated for 7 p.m.