The No. 14 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team clinched the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship and the top seed in next week's conference tournament Wednesday night with a 77-42 victory over UW-Platteville on Play4Kay Night at Kachel Gymnasium.
The Warhawks' league title, which they clinched at least a share of last Saturday, is the eighth in program history and the team's first since 2013-14. UW-Whitewater will begin its quest for a second straight WIAC Tournament championship at home next Thursday in the tournament's semifinal round against the lowest remaining seed.
Senior guard Malia Smith led the Warhawks with 15 points, four assists and four steals. Senior guard Brooke Trewyn posted 14 points and tied a career high with seven steals. Twelve other players scored in the contest for UW-Whitewater, which shot 51.6 from the floor in the first half and hit 16-of-21 at the free-throw line while holding UW-Platteville to 32.5 percent from the floor.
The Warhawks also forced 34 turnovers in the affair and didn't allow a 3-pointer.
After a tightly-contested first quarter, the Warhawks (21-3 overall, 11-2 WIAC) ran off the first 15 points of the second to take control of the affair. The team led by as many as 19 in the half and led 39-25 at halftime.
UW-Whitewater continued to push its lead in the third quarter thanks to a relentless, full-court defense. After the Pioneers (6-18, 2-11) scored the first point of the period, the Warhawks tallied the next 13 points to run their lead up to 26 by the 6:34 mark.
UW-Whitewater led by as many as 30 points in the third and 37 in the fourth quarter.
The Warhawks close the regular season this Saturday at UW-La Crosse. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.