The No. 24 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team used a balance scoring effort and strong free-throw shooting Wednesday night to defeat UW-Stevens Point 80-74 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Kachel Gymnasium.
Junior guard Chris Jones tallied 22 points, four rebounds and five assists to lead the Warhawks (15-3, 4-3 WIAC), who shot 54.9 percent from the floor and hit 20-of-23 (87.0 percent) from the free-throw line.
Junior forward Demetrius Woodley posted 14 points and 12 rebounds for his second double double of the season. Senior guard Drew Bryson finished with a season-high 13 points to go along with seven rebounds, and junior forward Scotty Tyler contributed 11 points and four rebounds.
UW-Whitewater held a 38-22 advantage on points in the paint over UW-Stevens Point (9-8, 3-4), which hit 11 three-pointers, including seven in the second half.
The Warhawks jumped out to a 13-4 advantage to start the contest with 14:46 left in the first half following Woodley's second straight layup. The Pointers scored 11 of the next 13 points to tie the contest at 15-15 with 11:30 on the clock.
UW-Stevens Point took its first lead at 22-20 with 8:36 to play in the half, but UW-Whitewater responded, tying the game before ending the period on a 7-3 run to take a 38-34 lead into the locker room.
The two teams continued to trade baskets early in the second half, fighting to a 49-49 tie by the 12:29 mark.
The Warhawks struck next with a 9-2 run to take a 58-51 lead with 9:29 to play. The Pointers responded with an 11-2 burst to take a 62-60 advantage three minutes later.
After Jones hit a jumper to forge the game's ninth tie, UW-Whitewater posted a 7-0 run capped by a Bryson 3-pointer with 3:58 remaining and never trailed again in the contest.
UW-Stevens Point never drew to within one possession over the final four minutes, 43 seconds as the Warhawks knocked down 7-of-8 from the free-throw line over the final 40 seconds of regulation.
UW-Whitewater, which is now a three-way tie for second place in the WIAC with UW-Eau Claire and UW-Oshkosh, begins the second half of conference play Saturday at UW-La Crosse. Tipoff is slated for 5 p.m.