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WHITEWATER 鈥 Missed opportunities kept the UW-Whitewater men鈥檚 basketball team just a step behind UW-River Falls on the final day of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season.
The Warhawks fell behind quickly in the first half and were never able to claw their way into the lead in their 66-58 loss to the Falcons.
River Falls senior guard Noah Hanson scored 14 of his 19 points in the first half and was a major contributor to the Falcons 50.0% 3-point shooting and 44.4% shooting from the field in the first half.
Whitewater finished the season 17-8 overall but 7-7 in conference play after three straight losses to end the season for a fourth-place finish and a berth in the WIAC tournament.
Trailing 33-25 at the start of the second half, the Warhawks had chances to take the lead. James Kelley and Trevon Chislom both had moments of providing a spark but ultimately Whitewater never fully closed the gap.
鈥淲e just couldn鈥檛 take advantage of some opportunities,鈥 head coach Jarod Wichser said. 鈥淲e had free throws that we missed, we had some transition opportunities that we just didn鈥檛 get buckets that should have been. There鈥檚 situations that you have to convert; we didn鈥檛 key in on those.鈥
Those chances in the second half often sprouted from an aggressive approach on the defensive end, where Whitewater forced 21 turnovers.
鈥淥ur defense was really good today,鈥 Chislom said. 鈥淲e were connected on the defensive end, really good with helps and stuff.鈥
Chislom, Kelley and Delvin Barnstable were the leading scorers for Whitewater, each of them in double figures. The Warhawks as a team finished shooting 21.7% from behind the arc, 34.9% from the field and just 64.3% from the foul line.
With those three stepping up, the Warhawks kept within range of River Falls despite the Falcons鈥 efficient shooting and Miles Barnstable鈥檚 recent offensive struggles.
Miles Barnstable only scored five points on 2-9 shooting in 38 minutes of action. In Platteville on Wednesday, the Pioneers limited him to just eight points, six of which came from the free-throw line.
His success will be key to bringing the Warhawks back into the win column when they begin the WIAC tournament Tuesday. Last year he served as a key piece in Whitewater鈥檚 run to the national semifinals.
鈥淓very team is different. 鈥 We鈥檝e had moments where it clicked, you鈥檝e thought, good, we鈥檙e in a rhythm,鈥 Wichser said. 鈥淏ut like tonight in the first half, we had a hard time hitting shots. But once we get it going, we look really good, you鈥檙e making plays defensively, being aggressive.鈥
Delvin Barnstable said the Warhawks know there are things they need to clean up and figure out as they enter postseason play. Their path to the Division III NCAA Tournament looks the same as it did last season around this time: They likely need to win the WIAC tournament to qualify.
