The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team opened its 2019-20 season with a 66-54 road win over Calvin.
 
The Warhawks move to 1-0 while the Knights drop to 1-1 in their respective seasons.
 
UW-W led the game for its entirety, including never letting Calvin tie up the game. The Warhawks outscored the Knights 23-7 at the free-throw line and tallied 22 steals.
 
The Warhawks started the first half with a 7-0 run, leaving the Knights scoreless through the first six minutes. Freshman Aleah Grundahl (DeForest, Wis./DeForest) led the charge, scoring her first basket with 8:19 remaining in the quarter.
 
In the second quarter, the team scored nine unanswered points up until the 3:46 mark when Calvin was finally able to get themselves on the board. The Knights were able to close the Warhawks lead to six points heading into halftime with a 26-20 score.
 
Calvin had a strong showing in the third quarter by scoring five points within the first minute and a half. After a 30-second timeout, the Warhawk defense got back into its rhythm, holding the Knights scoreless through the next three minutes. This was the highest scoring quarter for both teams, as the Warhawks tallied 20 points and the Knights recorded 21.
 
In the final quarter, the Warhawks never let the Knights within five points of their lead, just as they had started the quarter. The offense ran away with the game, scoring eight points in the first four minutes. They would hold onto their lead for a 66-54 win.
 
Senior guard Becky Raeder (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) posted a team-high 17 points to go with three rebounds. Grundahl tallied 13 points and five steals in her Warhawk debut. Sophomore guard Veronica Kieres (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) collected 10 points and was 4-for-4 at the free-throw line.
 
Sophomore forward Courtney Oomens (Lake Geneva, Wis./Badger) shared the game-high of five steals with Grundahl. Junior guard Emily Schumacher (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha South) tallied seven points and junior center Johanna Taylor(Wauwatosa, Wis./East) accounted for the team-high in rebounds, recorded eight throughout the game.
 
The Warhawks host the UW-Whitewater Tip-Off Tournament on Friday and Saturday. They will face Concordia Chicago on Friday at 4 p.m. and 10th-ranked DePauw (Ind.) on Saturday at 1 p.m.