The No. 19 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team remained in a tie for first place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Wednesday night with a 76-59 victory over UW-Platteville at Kachel Gymnasium.
The Warhawks (18-2 overall, 8-1 WIAC) forced 23 turnovers and out-rebounded the Pioneers 56-36, including 30 offensive rebounds, the most since grabbing 32 offensive rebounds on March 22, 2008, in a win over Oglethorpe in the NCAA Tournament national third-place game.
After UW-Platteville (6-14, 2-7) drew to within 43-41 with 5:05 left in the third quarter, UW-Whitewater embarked on a 16-0 run over the next six minutes of game time. The Pioneers didn't break the run until hitting a free throw with 8:31 left in the contest.
Junior guard Brooke Trewyn posted her fourth double double of the season with 17 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Senior guard Reilly Stewart tallied 14 points, three rebounds and two steals, and junior guard Malia Smith finished with 13 points, three rebounds and two steals.
Freshman Gilley Martinelli registered season highs of eight points and eight rebounds to go along with two assists, and sophomore forward Olivia Freckmann grabbed 10 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end.
The Warhawks started the contest on an 18-2 run that was capped by a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Emily Kraft with 4:11 left in the first quarter.
UW-Whitewater continued to hold a double-digit lead during the remainder of the half thanks to 12-of-14 shooting from the free-throw line and led 40-28 at halftime.
The Pioneers started the third quarter on a 13-3 run to draw within a possession as the Warhawks committed five turnovers in the first four minutes of the period.
UW-Whitewater quickly retook control of the game and extended its lead to as many as 20 points in the fourth.
The Warhawks, tied with UW-Oshkosh atop the league standings, travel to UW-Stout Saturday for a 3 p.m. tipoff.