Titans Outlast Cardinals In NCAA Tournament Opener
Eliza Campbell had a career-high 29 points and nine rebounds to lead UW-Oshkosh to an 87-82 win over North Central College (Ill.) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship held Friday (March 6) in Grand Rapids, Mich.
The 25th-ranked Titans (23-6) advance to play host Calvin College (28-0) on Saturday (March 7) at 7:30 p.m. (EST) in the Grand Rapids Regional final. The sixth-ranked Knights defeated Baldwin Wallace University (Ohio) (22-7), 80-66, in the other first-round game at the regional.
Campbell, who totaled just 29 points in her previous six contests, connected on 11 of 19 shots from the field and 7 of 9 free throws to eclipse her previous high of 15 points.
Marissa Selner added 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals for UW-Oshkosh. Katelyn Kuehl had six points, eight rebounds and a season-high six assists, while Taylor Schmidt chipped in five points, five rebounds and a game-best eight assists.
Campbell highlighted a bench that contributed 53 points and 26 of the Titans' season-high 59 rebounds, their highest total in the 133 games since pulling down 63 boards against Lawrence University on Nov. 16, 2010. UW-Oshkosh received 12 points and six rebounds from Madeline Staples and nine points and a career-best seven rebounds from Morgan Kokta off the bench.
UW-Oshkosh ended the game shooting 45.3 percent (29-64) from the floor and 16.7 percent (1-6) from behind the 3-point line. The Titans also tied their season best with 28 free throws in 40 attempts (70 percent).
Campbell scored six consecutive points to give the Titans a 10-5 lead less than four minutes into the game. UW-Oshkosh trailed for less than one minute during the opening period and pushed its advantage to 26-18 on a jumper by Ashley Neustifter midway through the half.
Emily Zgoda's second 3-pointer of the period pulled North Central College to within 37-35 with three minutes before halftime. UW-Oshkosh reeled off eight straight points for its largest lead of the period at 45-35 with 54 seconds left, but the Cardinals closed the half with six straight points to cut their deficit to 45-41 on a 3-pointer by Mayson Whipple at the buzzer.
UW-Oshkosh limited North Central College to 5 of 20 (25 percent) shooting from behind the arc in the first half and held a 35-13 rebounding advantage at the break.
The Cardinals tallied the first six points of the second half and capped their 12-0 scoring run with a layup by Corrine Rowe for a 47-45 lead with 18 minutes to play. Campbell then responded with two straight baskets to give UW-Oshkosh a 49-47 edge.
A layup by Jaime Cuny provided the Cardinals with a 62-61 advantage, but a 3-pointer by Schmidt swung the lead back to the Titans at 64-62. North Central College tied the score at 64 with two free throws, but UW-Oshkosh reclaimed the lead for good on a layup by Selner for a 66-64 advantage at the 6:49 mark.
A Selner jumper gave the Titans their biggest lead of the second period at 79-69 with less than four minutes to go, and North Central College didn't get within four points the rest of the contest.
North Central College (22-6) finished the game shooting 35.9 percent (28-78) from the field, 26.2 percent (11-42) on 3-point attempts and 75 percent (15-20) from the foul line. The Cardinals entered the game with a nation-leading 379 3-pointers and a 93.7 scoring average. Cardinal opponents averaged nearly 28 turnovers per game, but the Titans committed just 21.
Maryssa Cladis led North Central College with 14 points. Tess Godhardt and Bobbi Johns added 11 points apiece for the Cardinals, who received a team-high eight rebounds from Anita Sterling. Godhardt had a game-high four steals, while Johns paced the team with three assists.
Appearing in its 12th NCAA Division III Championship, UW-Oshkosh has now advanced to the tournament's second round for the second straight year and 11th time overall.
Photo courtesy of Sandy Palmatter