Two Warhawks take full advantage of Senior Night
Senior Reilly Stewart (#3) led Warhawks with 11 points
The 24th ranked UW-Whitewater women’s basketball defeated the UW-River Falls Falcons this Saturday on Senior Night. The Warhawks (19-4, 9-3 WIAC) snapped a two game losing streak with the 57-37 victory behind the strength of their defense, 27 forced turnovers, and the emotional boost they received from their two seniors, Reilly Stewart and Andrea Olsen.
Olsen, despite not being able to play due to an injury suffered in the preseason, made an impact before the game even started when she took over the mic and sang the Star-Spangled Banner to start the game. Warhawks head coach Keri Carollo thought Olsen’s performance carried over to the game.
“[An]Drea did a great job and really gave us that lift right at the start.” Coach Carollo said postgame.
Right after tip off the other senior, Reilly Stewart, picked up right were Olsen left off. Stewart scored eight points, registered two assists and hit two three pointers in the first quarter as the Warhawks took an 18-12 advantage. Stewart finished the game with a team-leading 11 points, three assists and two steals.
“That’s what seniors do, they step up and when you need them the most they can hit shots and get great defensive stops. I’m really proud of Reilly, she wasn’t feeling well today but she stepped up and got it done for us.” Coach Carollo talked about the difference Stewart made.
Fans were greeted by a sea of pink as they entered Saturday’s game because it wasn’t only for the seniors. It was also Play4Kay day. Play4Kay is an organization dedicated to raising funds to benefit women’s cancer research. The organization is named after former North Carolina State head women’s basketball coach Kay Yow, who passed away in 2009 after her third bout with breast cancer. All proceeds collected from ticket sales, t-shirt sales and raffle sales were donated to the organization and if you would like to donate you can click the link at the bottom of this article. UW-Whitewater also honored four cancer survivors at halftime.
Saturday’s game was very important for the Warhawks who were on a two-game skid entering the contest. During the two-game skid the Warhawks shot a combined 37-137 (27 %) from the field and lost the two games by a combined 38 points. The Warhawks played Saturday’s game with more effort and more intensity than the previous two and UWW-TV’s Adam Reed thought that had something to do with Senior Day.
“I think that the team definitely played for Reilly Stewart. She came out, had an awesome performance set the tone early and brought them home. It was obvious the team was playing with a lot more passion than they have in previous weeks.” Reed said postgame.
The Warhawks will return to action next Wednesday for a huge contest against the WIAC leading UW-Oshkosh Titans. The Titans (21-2, 11-1 WIAC) are ranked 14th in the nation and have a two-game lead on the Warhawks with two regular season games remaining.
[ Box Score ]
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