The No. 5 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team shot 50 percent from the field and finished with a 34-12 advantage on points in the paint Friday night in a 78-61 victory over Caltech in a non-conference affair at the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif.

The Warhawks (5-0 overall) hit 27-of-54 from the field for the game, including 9-of-21 from 3-point range, and forced 17 turnovers.

UW-Whitewater pulled away from the Beavers (0-4) with a 15-2 run over the final six minutes of the first half and continued the momentum early in the second half with a 10-2 spurt over the first four minutes, 40 seconds of the period.

Junior guard Mitchell Pfefier totaled a team-high 18 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals. Junior forward Derek Rongstad collected 17 points, five rebounds and two steals, and junior guard Dalton Menke posted 13 points.

The Warhawks led 11-5 through the first six minutes of play, but Caltech fought back to grab a 17-15 advantage midway through the half.

The Beavers led by as many as three points before Pfeifer hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the UW-Whitewater run into halftime.

The Warhawks took a 44-26 lead at the 15:20 mark of the second half after a 3-pointer by Menke and led by as many as 28 points in the frame.

UW-Whitewater concludes play in California Saturday at 9 p.m. Central Time against Redlands.