STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Trinson White scored 21 of his game-high 23 points after the break as UW-Whitewater pulled away from the UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team in the second half, defeating the Pointers 72-51 on Wednesday night at Bennett Court at Quandt Fieldhouse.
UW-Stevens Point (11-9, 4-5 WIAC) held White to two points on 1-for-4 shooting in the first half but the senior shot 6-for-7 from the field and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line in the second half for UW-Whitewater (13-7, 4-5 WIAC). The Warhawks shot 59.3 percent (16-for-27) from the floor and outscored the Pointers 46-28 after the interval.
UW-Whitewater led 26-23 after a low-scoring first half and was ahead just 32-30 with 16:09 remaining in regulation after a Stephen Pelkofer three-pointer. From there, the visitors gradually built a double-digit lead over the next six-plus minutes.
The Pointers stayed within reach until the Warhawks went on a 13-4 run over a span of 3:24 to turn a nine-point lead into a 21-point advantage. UW-Whitewater scored on six consecutive possessions during the run, which began with 7:30 remaining. White scored eight points during the decisive run, while Nate Hensel added a three-pointer and a three-point play.
White finished with 23 points on 7-for-11 from the field, including 2-for-3 from behind the arc, and was 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. He also grabbed seven rebounds. Cole Van Schyndel added 15 points and six boards, while Andre Brown (12) and Hensel (11) were also in double figures in scoring for the Warhawks, who shot 56.5 percent (26-for-46) from the field in the game.
Sean McGann paced UW-Stevens Point with 20 points and did most of his damage from the free-throw line, where he was 12-for-14. Pelkofer scored nine of his 12 in the first half, while Brad Freeborn came off the bench to add seven points and seven rebounds.
The Warhawks outscored the Pointers 40-8 in the paint in the game and led for 36:49 of the 40 minutes. UW-Stevens Point shot 87.5 percent (21-for-24) from the line but just 27.1 percent (13-for-48) from the field.
UW-Whitewater opened up an 11-4 lead after the first 6:30 of the game before UW-Stevens Point scored the next six to get within one. Neither team led by more than five the rest of the first half until the Warhawks opened up a 26-19 lead in the final two minutes on a three-point play from Van Schyndel but McGann scored the final four of the half to leave the visitors up three at the break.
UW-Stevens Point hosts UW-River Falls on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. on Alumni Day.