The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men's basketball team used a strong defensive performance Thursday afternoon to secure an 89-63 win against LaGrange (Ga.) in a non-conference contest to close the Emory Holiday Classic in Atlanta, Ga.

The Warhawks (9-4 overall) held the Panthers to 32.4 percent shooting from the floor, including a 25.7 percent clip in the first half as UW-W took a 46-26 halftime lead.

Derek Gray tallied a game-high 20 points to go along with nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. JT Hoytink posted a career-best 16 points to go with three rebounds and two steals, while Jack Brahm registered 16 points, nine rebounds and a team-high four assists.

Jameer Barker recorded 13 points and four rebounds, and Trevon Chislom finished with 10 points and three rebounds.

UW-Whitewater finished with a 56-32 rebounding advantage, including a 20-12 edge on the offensive glass.

LaGrange (5-8) scored the first basket of the game before the Warhawks ran off 18 of the next 20 points. Hoytink capped the run with a 3-pointer to make the score 18-4 with 14:31 remaining in the first half.

An 11-0 UW-W run made it 31-8 just past the midway point of the period. Chislom's layup with 7:32 on the clock gave the Warhawks their largest lead of the half at 35-10.

The Panthers cut their deficit to 17 by the 3:54 mark, but Barker pushed the halftime advantage to 20 points on a put-back layup in the waning seconds of the period.

Gray pushed the UW-Whitewater lead to a game-high 27 points on a layup just over four minutes into the second half. LaGrange whittled the margin down to 12 points on two different occasions.

The Warhawks pulled away with a 12-4 run over a three-minute span as Brahm capped the surge with a dunk off Gray's steal with 3:00 left in the contest.

UW-Whitewater resumes Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Wednesday at No. 5 UW-Oshkosh. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.