Titans Gather Road Win Over Blugolds

Taylor Schmidt scored 15 points and Isabella Samuels added a season-high 11 as the nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team remained atop the WIAC standings with a 57-45 triumph over UW-Eau Claire on Saturday (Jan. 28) in Eau Claire.

Schmidt made 2 of 4 shots from the floor and all 10 free throws, including six in the final minute, to collect her 14th double-digit scoring effort of the season.

Samuels shot 5-for-6 from the field in 16 minutes off the UW-Oshkosh bench to notch her first double-digit scoring effort of the year.

UW-Oshkosh (17-2, 7-1 WIAC), ranked 15th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, never trailed after Jaimee Pitt converted a 3-point shot to beat the first-quarter buzzer and knot the score at 14.

UW-Eau Claire (10-9, 4-4 WIAC), which trailed by as many as 15 points during the third quarter, cut its deficit to 48-43 with 1:49 left in the fourth period before UW-Oshkosh secured its fifth consecutive win over the Blugolds by making 9 of 10 free throw attempts over the final 49 seconds.

UW-Oshkosh and 17th-ranked UW-Whitewater (17-2, 7-1 WIAC) remain tied for first place in the WIAC standings with six league games remaining.

The Blugolds outshot the Titans, .377 (20-53) to .358 (19-53), from the field, but UW-Oshkosh knocked down 14 of 16 free throws (87.5 percent) and held a 17-12 advantage in turnovers while UW-Eau Claire made its only two shots at the foul line.

UW-Oshkosh entered the game leading the country with 11.7 turnovers per game and ranked fourth nationally by limiting opponents to 46.2 points per contest. The Titans have held 16 of their 19 opponents to fewer than 56 points this season.

Alex Richard contributed nine points and a game-high eight rebounds for UW-Oshkosh. Emma Melotik chipped in seven points and four rebounds while Morgan Kokta and Pitt recorded five points apiece.

UW-Eau Claire took an 8-5 lead midway through the first quarter and held an advantage until Pitt's long-range jumper at the buzzer tied the score. The Blugolds shot 54.5 percent (6-11) from the floor during the opening stanza as Anna Graaskamp went 4-for-5 from the field and tallied nine points.

UW-Oshkosh took the lead for good at 17-14 on a 3-pointer by Kylie Moe with 9:32 left in the second quarter. Melotik then hit a 3-pointer that extended the Titan lead to 20-16 and sparked a string of 10 unanswered points over the next three minutes. A layup by Samuels provided UW-Oshkosh a 27-16 advantage with 4:51 left in the second quarter.

Trailing 29-20 late in the first half, UW-Eau Claire trimmed its deficit to 29-25 at intermission on a 3-pointer from Jenni LaCroix and a layup from Elly Boles during the final minute of the second period.

UW-Eau Claire missed its first nine field goal attempts of the third quarter. The Blugolds went scoreless for more than six minutes as UW-Oshkosh rattled off 13 consecutive points for a 42-27 lead with 3:16 to play in the third period. Five different Titans contributed baskets during the team's 13-0 scoring run until Alleah Voigt made UW-Eau Claire's first field goal of the quarter at the 2:57 mark.

UW-Oshkosh made just one of its last 14 shots from the field, shooting 1-for-12 (8.3 percent) during the final quarter. The Titans went scoreless for nearly nine minutes until Schmidt hit a pair of free throws to give UW-Oshkosh a 50-43 lead with 49 seconds to play.

Following a Blugold turnover, Schmidt made another two free throws to up the Titans' advantage to 52-43 with 40 seconds left.

UW-Eau Claire's Graaskamp concluded the contest with a game-high 21 points on 10 of 16 shooting from the floor to go along with a team-leading six rebounds. The Bugolds' remaining four starters combined for eight points on 3-for-21 (14.3 percent) shooting from the field.

LaCroix and Voigt scored eight and four points, respectively, off the UW-Eau Claire bench. LaCroix added a game-high four assists while Boles led all players with four blocks in a reserve role.

The Titans also defeated the Blugolds, 77-65, on Jan. 14 in Oshkosh.

UW-Oshkosh travels to UW-Stevens Point on Wednesday (Feb. 1). The Titans downed the Pointers by a 62-53 score on Jan. 4 in Oshkosh.