With two straight home games fast approaching, the UW-Superior women's basketball team hoped Saturday's conference road game with UW-Whitewater would provide an opportunity to make a statement. And after 40 minutes of action at Kachel Gymnasium, it was clear the Yellowjackets had gained momentum heading into next week

Taking of a sizable edge in rebounding, the Yellowjackets led from virtually the start before holding on down the stretch for a 68-65 win over UW-Whitewater at Kachel Gymnasium in Whitewater

UW-Superior not only picked up their third straight win over the Warhawks, they also maintained their grip on first place in the WIAC, upping their overall mark to 13-5 while improving to 7-2 in conference play. The Yellowjackets also held a 47-31 edge in rebounding and held UW-Whitewater to just 31.1 percent shooting on the afternoon.

For their part, the Warhawks dropped to 8-10 and 3-6 with the loss.

The Yellowjackets got off to a fast start, scoring 15 of the game's first 19 points to take an 11-4 lead on a layup by Vanessa Lebens (Roseville, Minn./Roseville Area) with 15:56 remaining in the opening half.

UW-Superior went on to take their first double-digit lead 2:20 later when a three-point shot by Brynn Liljander (Isanti, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) and a jumper from Bailee Bartunek (Audobon, Minn./Lake Park-Audobon) on consecutive possessions made it 16-6 at the 13:36 mark.

The Warhawks rallied back, going on a 16-5 burst for a 22-21 UW-Whitewater lead on Abbie Reeves' three-pointer with 8:04 left in the first half. UW-Whitewater eventually took their largest lead of the game at 2:49 when Malia Smith's jumper gave the Warhawks a 32-27 advantage.

UW-Superior came back with a 9-1 run over the final 2:27 however to take a 36-33 lead into the intermission after another Liljander three-pointer in the final 15 seconds of play.

The Yellowjackets steadily expanded their lead through the first 11:05 of the second half, jumping out to a 54-44 edge on two free throws by Deandra Vavra (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) with 8:55 remaining in regulation.

UW-Whitewater again responded, coming back for a 59-56 Warhawks' advantage on two free throws by Andrea Meinert at the 4:27 mark.

But the Yellowjackets scored the next six points for a 62-59 lead on a three-pointer by Liljander with 3:48 remaining on the clock. UW-Superior never trailed again as Sally Linzmeier (Valders, Wis./Valders) connected on two free throws, Grace Kennedy (Wausau, Wis./Newman Catholic) knocked down on a jumper, and Liljander converted an additional foul shot over the last 2:29 to seal the victory.

Linzmeier finished with a game-high 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Liljander added 16 points while Kennedy added 11 points and 11 rebounds.

UW-Whitewater was paced by Reeves with 13 points. Smith had 12 points for the Warhawks as well.

The Yellowjackets return home to face UW-River Falls Wednesday. Opening tip at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game can be heard live on 91.3 FM with Matt Johnson on the call.