The No. 24 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team turned a one-possession game into a double-digit margin over the final nine minutes of regulation Saturday night in an 89-70 triumph over Concordia Wisconsin in a non-conference affair at Kachel Gymnasium.

Clinging to a 62-60 advantage with 9:02 to play, the Warhawks (3-0 overall) tallied the next 16 points to take control of the contest, starting what ended up as a 27-10 run over the final 9:02.

UW-Whitewater shot 51.6 percent in the second half and hit 8-of-14 from 3-point range in the period to offset 53.1 percent shooting by CUW for the contest. The Warhawks scored 31 points off 20 Falcon turnovers.

Senior forward Derek Rongstad collected a game-high 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range, to go along with seven rebounds and three steals.

Senior guard David Sachs posted his first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 12 assists to go with four rebounds and two steals. Senior guard Dalton Menke recorded 14 points, six rebounds and two steals, and senior forward Melvin Brown Jr. totaled 12 points and four rebounds.

Senior guard Andre Brown recorded eight assists to go along with his three points and three rebounds.

The Falcons (0-2) led by six five minutes into the first half, and took an 18-9 advantage with 13:43 to go in the period.

A transition dunk and a layup by Brown Jr. drew UW-Whitewater to within one point midway through the half. The Warhawks took their first lead 25-23 on a 3-pointer by senior Mitchell Pfeifer at the 6:00 mark.

UW-Whitewater built a seven-point lead with five minutes to play in the half, but Concordia closed on a 17-9 run to take a 41-40 lead into the locker room.

The Warhawks started the second half on a 13-2 run, highlighted by five straight points from junior center Riley Jensen and eight during the spurt by Rongstad, to take a 53-43 advantage with 15:35 remaining.

UW-Whitewater led by as many as 13 points before the Falcons slowly climbed back into the game, tallying eight straight points to make it a one-possession game with 9:02 on the clock before the Warhawks' game-clinching run.

UW-Whitewater visits defending Midwest Conference champion Monmouth (Ill.) Tuesday at 7 p.m.