The No. 21 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team exhibited strong play on both ends of the floor Saturday afternoon in an 83-48 triumph over UW-Stout on Alumni Day in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest at Kachel Gymnasium.

The Warhawks (18-3 overall, 7-3 WIAC), who claimed their seventh straight win and moved to within two games of first-place UW-River Falls, knocked down 14-of-29 (48.3 percent) from 3-point range and shot 49.1 percent from the field for the game.

UW-Whitewater also held the Blue Devils (13-8, 4-6) to 38.2 percent shooting, including 3-of-17 from 3-point range, and forced 20 turnovers.

The Warhawks held advantages in points off turnovers (28-13) and second-chance points (16-5) and got 48 points from their bench.

Junior guard Chris Jones posted a game-high 17 points to go along with four rebounds and five assists to lead UW-Whitewater's balanced offensive attack.

Sophomore guard Mitchell Pfeifer tallied 12 points on four 3-pointers and added a team-best four steals.

Senior forward Cole Van Schyndel, junior forward Demetrius Woodley and sophomore guard Maurquis Turner registered eight points apiece. Woodley added five rebounds.

The Warhawks grabbed a 6-5 lead with 17:55 left in the first half and never trailed again. The team extended its lead to 16-7 on a tip-in from senior forward Alex LeGault with 14:52 on the clock, and upped the advantage to 17 by the 7:28 mark thanks to seven made 3-pointers by six different players.

UW-Whitewater held a 38-24 halftime advantage and led by 18 early in the second half before UW-Stout narrowed its deficit to 47-32 with 14:20 remaining.

The Warhawks grabbed the momentum back with a 17-2 run, which was capped by a layup by Van Schyndel with 9:24 to play that made it 64-37.

At halftime of Saturday's game, UW-Whitewater recognized the fifth anniversary of the 2012 national championship team. A tribute video was shown on the scoreboard and all members of the team in attendance were introduced.

The 2011-12 Warhawks claimed the WIAC regular season championship and a school-record tying 29 wins. The team trailed by 18 points in the second half in the national title game against Cabrini before staging a comeback in a 63-60 victory.

UW-Whitewater continues action Wednesday at UW-Stevens Point. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.