Titans Advance To WIAC Championship Final
Isabella Samuels had 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team to a 56-48 victory over UW-La Crosse during the semifinal round of the WIAC Championship on Thursday (Feb. 22) in La Crosse.
UW-Oshkosh (21-5) never trailed after Samuels scored a layup 21 seconds into the game's opening possession. The Titans owned leads of 16-3 after one quarter and 20-14 at intermission.
The Titans, who limited UW-La Crosse (16-10) to its lowest scoring half of the season, led by as many as 16 points early in the fourth quarter.
UW-Oshkosh, ranked 23rd in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, advances to the WIAC Championship final for the fifth consecutive season. The Titans will play 12th-ranked UW-Whitewater in the league tournament final for the second straight year.
UW-Whitewater (23-3), the top seed for the six-team WIAC Championship, is set to host third-seeded UW-Oshkosh at 3 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 24). The Warhawks extended their season winning streak to nine games with a 74-68 home win over fourth-seeded UW-Eau Claire (18-9) on Thursday.
The winner of the WIAC Championship receives the league's automatic berth to the 64-team NCAA Division III Championship that begins March 2.
Samuels, who entered Thursday's game leading the WIAC with a .610 field goal percentage, shot 6-for-9 from the floor on the way to finishing two points shy of her career high and counting her third double-double of the season.
Eliza Campbell added 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and three blocks for the Titans.
UW-Oshkosh's Emma Melotik and Chloe Pustina contributed eight and seven points, respectively, while Titans Jaimee Pitt and Karsyn Rueth had six apiece. Olivia Campbell produced four points, seven rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
The Titans concluded the contest with advantages in field goal percentage (.373 to .320), rebounds (37-33), assists (12-5), turnovers (19-15) and blocks (8-2). After not attempting a free throw during the first half, UW-Oshkosh shot 14-for-22 at the foul line over the last two quarters.
UW-Oshkosh went into the game leading the country with 10.5 turnovers per game while also pacing the WIAC in scoring (71.3), scoring defense (50.3), field goal percentage (.435), average rebounding margin (+8.5) and assist-to-turnover ratio. The Titans held their 15th opponent to 50 or fewer points.
UW-La Crosse, which recorded its first assist of the game at the 3:25 mark of the third quarter, shot 8.2 percent (1-12) from the field in the opening period. The Eagles, who fell to 0-4 in WIAC Championship semifinal games, were seeded a program-best second in this year's league tournament.
UW-La Crosse reserve Ava Kramer led all players with 16 points and added a team-leading three assists in 20 minutes.
Elise DeNoyer had 13 points and six rebounds for the Eagles, who also received eight points and a team-high seven boards from Dani Craig.
Pustina and Samuels both scored six points in the first quarter as the Eagles missed 11 straight field goal attempts until DeNoyer drove for a layup to trim UW-La Crosse's deficit to 16-5 with 9:03 left in the second period.
A 3-pointer by Melotik capped a string of seven of straight points that extended UW-Oshkosh's advantage to 30-18 with 5:46 to play in the third quarter. A long-range jumper from Eliza Campbell provided the Titans a 41-27 lead heading into the final period.
Rueth's layup on the Titans' first possession of the fourth quarter gave UW-Oshkosh its largest lead at 43-27 with 9:28 left. UW-La Crosse pulled within 48-42 following a pair of free throws by Kramer with 77 seconds remaining, but the Titans preserved the win by shooting 9-for-12 at the free throw line over the last 1:27.
UW-La Crosse and UW-Oshkosh split two games during the regular season. The Eagles defeated the Titans, 57-51, in Oshkosh, while UW-Oshkosh won at La Crosse by a 61-49 score.
UW-Whitewater defeated UW-Oshkosh, 65-56, to claim last year's league tournament title. The Warhawks, who boast a 12-1 home record this season, also secured wins over the Titans this season by scores of 54-52 in Whitewater and 72-60 in Oshkosh.
UW-Oshkosh is seeking its fifth WIAC Championship title. The Titans, who have a 24-12 record in 17 conference tournament appearances, won the event in 1999, 2014, 2015 and 2016, while UW-Whitewater won its lone league postseason championship a year ago. UW-Oshkosh will be making its league-record 11th trip to the WIAC Championship final. UW-Whitewater is in the title game for the sixth time.
The Titans won each of their four games at UW-La Crosse's Mitchell Hall this season and nine straight overall at the venue. UW-Oshkosh also ousted Viterbo University in Mitchell Hall by a 83-41 score on Nov. 25 and Luther College (Iowa), 72-65, on Nov. 26. The Titans' last loss in Mitchell Hall was a 67-48 decision against UW-La Crosse on Jan. 28, 2012.