Knights Slay Titans In Second Round Of NCAA Championship

Kailey Kladivo had 23 points and eight rebounds and Miranda Murphy notched her first double-double of the season to lead Wartburg College (Iowa) to a 66-56 win over UW-Oshkosh during the second round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday (March 5) in Kolf Sports Center.

Wartburg College (21-7), which advances to the third round for the third time in school history, took the lead for good at 20-18 on a 3-pointer by Morgan Neuendorf with 5:29 left in the second quarter. The Knights will now play eighth-ranked University of St. Thomas (Minn.) on Friday (March 11) in St. Paul, Minn.

Wartburg College tallied 10 consecutive points for a 44-30 advantage at the 2:51 mark of the third period. Kladivo scored seven points during the decisive surge, including a three-point play to cap the run that spanned nearly three minutes.

UW-Oshkosh (23-6), ranked 11th in the nation by D3hoops.com, pulled within nine points at 47-38 early in the fourth quarter, but a layup by Murphy increased the Wartburg College lead to 49-38, and the Knights led by double figures the rest of the way.

Kladivo connected on 8 of 9 shots from the field and 7 of 10 free throws in 24 minutes off the Knights bench, while Murphy scored 11 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds. Bobbie Burrows chipped in 12 points, two assists and two steals for Wartburg College.

Wartburg College ended the game shooting 48 percent (24-50) from the field, including 31.6 percent (6-19) from 3-point range. The Knights connected on 12 of 19 free throws (63.2 percent) and held advantages in rebounds (41-33) and blocks (4-1).

The Knights jumped out to leads of 6-2 and 10-6 before the Titans scored the last six points of the period to take a 12-10 edge after one quarter.

UW-Oshkosh took its largest lead of three points at 18-15 on a layup by Taylor Schmidt, but Wartburg College answered with a 13-3 scoring run to reclaim a 28-21 advantage with 3:20 left in the second quarter.

The Titans cut their deficit to 28-25 on a layup by Isabella Samuels late in the first half, but Kladivo scored a basket on the ensuing possession for a 30-25 Wartburg College lead at intermission.

UW-Oshkosh shot 34.4 percent (21-61) from the floor, 21.1 percent (4-19) from behind the 3-point line and 62.5 percent (10-16) from the charity stripe. The Titans amassed advantages in turnovers (16-8), assists (10-6) and steals (9-4).

Eliza Campbell paced UW-Oshkosh with 14 points, while Schmidt contributed 11 points and three assists. Ashley Neustifter chipped in four points and a team-leading seven rebounds and three steals for the Titans.

Saturday's loss marked the final games for UW-Oshkosh's Neustifter and Marissa Selner. The duo helped the Titans compile a 92-23 record in their four seasons – the best four-year stretch for UW-Oshkosh since 1997-2000 (98-15).

Neustifter ends her career with 715 points, 364 rebounds, 325 assists and 149 steals in 115 games, including the last 89 as a starter. Selner's career totals include 588 points, 480 rebounds and a .462 (222-481) field goal percentage in 100 games, including 86 as a starter.

Wartburg College defeated UW-Oshkosh for the second time this season. The Knights also beat the Titans, 67-56, on Dec. 29 in Waverly, Iowa.

UW-Oshkosh, which reached the second round of the Division III Championship for the third straight year, now owns a 25-12 record in 13 NCAA postseason appearances.

2016 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship Bracket