The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team used strong shooting Friday night to defeat Colorado College 90-71 in the team's 2016-17 season opener at Kachel Gymnasium.

The Warhawks (1-0 overall) shot 51.5 percent from the floor, including a 51.9 percent clip (14-of-27) from 3-point range.

Freshman guard Zach Knobloch displayed a strong shooting touch in his UW-Whitewater debut, pouring in 23 points on seven 3-pointers, including six in the first half, to go along with five rebounds.

Junior guard Chris Jones tallied 13 points, four rebounds and four assists in his Warhawk debut. Junior forward Scotty Tyler and junior guard/forward Demetrius Woodley added 10 points apiece off the bench.

Sophomore guards Andre Brown and Mitchell Pfeifer each contributed nine points.

After a jumper by the Tigers (0-1) made it a 15-12 game with 13:17 on the clock in the first half, Knobloch hit 3-pointers on four consecutive possessions to jump start a 12-2 run that made it 27-14 with 9:59 left in the period.

UW-Whitewater added to its lead on layups by sophomore guard/forward Maurquis Turner Tyler and Knobloch to take a 35-18 advantage with 7:21 to play in the half.

Pfeifer and Brown converted baskets to match the Warhawks' largest lead of the half at 40-18 with 6:14 remaining.

Colorado College went basket-for-basket in the second half with UW-Whitewater, but the Warhawks never led by fewer than 15 during the frame.

The Warhawks held advantages in second-chance points (18-7) and bench points (38-25).

UW-Whitewater returns to action at Kachel Gymnasium Saturday at 7 p.m. against NAIA opponent Lindsey Wilson (Ky.).