By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
The No. 2 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s basketball team opened the 2023-24 season with a big win at home, defeating Gustavus Adolphus College 88-59. The win marked the first at the helm for head coach Jarod Wichser. The Warhawks will wrap up the Tip-Off Classic sponsored by Holiday Inn – Fort Atkinson against Saint Mary’s (MN) Saturday at 7 p.m. in Kachel Gym.
Attached Photo: Warhawk bench celebrates a three-pointer (Dane Sheehan)
The first half was a battle. The Warhawks opened up a 10-point lead early as Miles Barnstable dropped in nine to lead UWW to a 15-5 lead six minutes into play.
The Gusties worked their way back into the game with a 14-4 run that knotted the contest 31-31 with three minutes remaining. Gustavus Adolphus ended up taking the lead 36-33.
Trevon Chislom knocked down a floater for the final score of the half to cut the deficit to one, 36-35, at the intermission.
The Warhawks regained the lead and widened their advantage in the first few minutes of the second half. By the 11:29 mark, UWW had reclaimed a double-digit advantage, 55-44. The gap never dipped below seven the rest of the way.
The UWW faithful were loud throughout but especially late in the second half as the Warhawks held the Gusties scoreless for nearly three minutes while the offense went on an 11-0 run. The burst gave UW-Whitewater an 82-56 lead with just over three minutes remaining.
Barnstable led all scorers with 24 points on 8-10 from the field including 3-4 from beyond the arc and 5-7 from the free throw line. He added a pair of assists and three blocks. Kelley posted 21 points, also hitting 8-10 from the floor with 2-3 from three-point range. He added a team-high nine rebounds.
Chislom and Delvin Barnstable rounded out the Warhawks who registered double figures in the scoring column with 16 and 11 respectively. Jameer Barker ran the offense dishing out eight assists with a block and three steals.
