The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team opened the 2014-15 season with an 86-68 win over the University of Chicago in Kachel Gym in Whitewater Saturday afternoon. 

UW-Whitewater won the battle on the boards totaling 46 including 21 on the offensive glass. Chicago posted just 29 rebounds in the game. The point differential came from the charity stripe. The Warhawks went 30-39 from the free throw line compared to 17-26 for the Maroons.

The first half went back and forth with the teams trading the lead. With the score knotted 29-29, the ninth tie in the first 15 minutes of the game, UW-Whitewater went on a 10-2 run to take a 39-31 lead with 2:27 left in the half.

Morgan Donovan responded with a three-pointer to narrow the lead to five but Andrea Meinert (West Bend/Kettle Moraine Lutheran) and Abbie Reeves (Salem/Westosha Central) knocked down two free throws each to give the Warhawks a 43-35 lead heading into intermission.

Chicago posted 22 points in the paint compared to 12 for the Warhawks. UW-Whitewater notched 13 points off turnover and 11 second chance points in the half while the Maroons combined for just eight points in the same two categories. 

The Warhawks pushed the lead into double figures with the first bucket of the second half after a jumper from Reilly Stewart (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North). The gap hovered near double digits for the majority of the first 10 minutes of the half.

The Maroons whittled the lead down to four points after two free throws from Claire Devaney with nine minutes remaining. UW-Whitewater responded with an 11-3 run over the next four minutes to take a 69-57 lead with just under five minutes left in the game. 

The Warhawks ended the game with another 11-3 run in the final two minutes to seal the win 86-68. 

Stewart led all players with 20 points off of 5-9 from the field, including 2-4 from long range, and 8-12 from the free throw line. Reeves opened the season with 19 points going 12-14 from the charity stripe and led the Warhawks with eight rebounds.

Kate McKay (Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley) added 12 points on a perfect 6-6 outing from the field and Meinert totaled 11 points bolstered by a 7-8 performance from the free throw line. 

Brooke Trewyn (Whitewater/Whitewater) dished out four assists, recorded four steals and added six boards in her first collegiate game.

The Maroons were led by Devaney's 18 points. Britta Nordstrom added 16 points including 11 in the first 20 minutes.