The No. 24 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team won its fifth straight game Saturday afternoon, defeating UW-La Crosse 67-62 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest in La Crosse, Wis.

Junior guard Chris Jones tallied 20 of his game-high 25 points in the first half to lead the Warhawks (16-3 overall, 5-3 WIAC), who shot 49 percent for the contest and committed only nine turnovers.

Sophomore guard/forward Derek Rongstad posted 10 points, six rebounds and two steals. Junior forward Scotty Tyler contributed nine points and four rebounds, and senior forward Cole Van Schyndel registered eight points off the bench.

UW-Whitewater hit five 3-pointers and shot 55.6 percent in the first half en route to a 42-35 halftime advantage. UW-La Crosse started the contest with a 10-0 run, but was countered by a 12-2 Warhawk run.

The two teams were tied six different times in the period, with the final one broken by a 7-0 UW-Whitewater run over the finals 1:24 of the half.

The Eagles fought back to tie the game at 50-50 with 11:24 remaining in the game.

After a scoring lull by both teams and three more tie scores, the Warhawks took the lead for good on a jumper by junior forward Demetrius Woodley with 2:44 to play.

Jones gave UW-Whitewater a three-point lead on a free throw with 31 seconds on the clock, and the Warhawks got a stop on the other end.

UW-La Crosse had one last chance to tie the game, but an over-and-back violation gave the ball back to UW-Whitewater with two seconds left. Jones put the exclamation point on the result with a layup that beat the buzzer.

The Warhawks continue WIAC play Wednesday at UW-Platteville. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.