HOLLAND, Mich. — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s basketball team defeated Hope College 95-92 in the DeVos Fieldhouse with some late-game heroics from Isaac Verges on Friday.
After a Collin Madson three tied the game with 1.6 seconds remaining, Verges stole the following inbound and hit the half-court buzzer beater as time expired to keep the Warhawks rolling.
The first half was a tightly contested contest, with UWW trailing by just two at the break. Hope shot 60% from the floor to start the game, but the Warhawks got some three’s to fall to keep the game close.
The second half started out strong for the Warhawks, as they kept pace with Hope. With about eight minutes left, the Warhawks put together an 8-0 run to go up by six. Hope had the answer though, chipping away at the Warhawk lead.
Heading into the final stretch, the 3-pointers started to fall for UWW, which helped them turn around the small Hope lead. Luke Bara hit a crucial one with 90 seconds on the clock to tie the game at 85 apiece.
With 30 seconds on the clock, a layup from Hope’s guard put them up by two points. A free throw later, it was a three-point deficit for the Warhawks with 15 seconds left.
Madson drew a fast-break foul to stop the clock. He hit both free throws to cut the lead to a single point. Hope was able to get both of their free throws, but with just 1.6 seconds on the clock, Madson rose up and buried a 30-foot jumper to tie the game at 92-all.
That wasn’t the end of the Warhawks’ show-stopper moments. Hope College looked to play for OT, making a lob pass towards halfcourt on the inbound. In one motion, Verges stole the pass and hit the buzzer-beater from halfcourt to give the Warhawks the wild victory.
Madson led the Warhawks with 20 points while Verges added in 19, Brock Marino totaled 17 and Luke Bara added 12.
Madson and Verges both had a double-double with 11 rebounds and 10 rebounds, respectively.
SATURDAY’S RESULT
ALMA, Mich. — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s basketball team cruised to a 90-61 win over Alma College in Michigan on Saturday.
Joey Berezowitz posted a career-high 16 points to help lead the Warhawks.
The Warhawks (9-1) opened the game firing from three, making six of their nine attempts in the first half. The hot-hand opened up a quick 10-point lead, but Alma College closed it down. Darius Chestnut hit a three before the end of the half to put the lead back up to 10 before the end of the half.
After the break, the Warhawks kept tacking onto the lead with balanced scoring. The hot hand kept the Warhawks going, making 50% of their shots behind the arc in the second half.
The Warhawks kept cruising, holding Alma to only 29 points in the second half. UWW finished out the game with a 90-61 victory over the Scots.
The bench for the Warhawks was able to shine in the game, tallying 53 total points outside of the starting five.
UW-W’s Collin Madson scored 16 points, with Jake Quast chipping in 11 and Darius Chestnut notching 10.
The Warhawks wrap up their nonconference schedule on the road against Coe College on Tuesday, December 30.
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