Titans To Host Nationally Ranked Eagles
The UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team will attempt to defeat a nationally ranked WIAC opponent at home for the second time in two weeks when the Titans host UW-La Crosse on Saturday (Feb. 8). Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Kolf Sports Center.
UW-Oshkosh (11-9, 4-5 WIAC) enters Saturday tied for fourth in the league standings while UW-La Crosse (15-5, 6-3), ranked 23rd in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, is alone in third with five games remaining. The Titans, who own a 1-2 record against nationally ranked teams this season, handed sixth-ranked and conference leading UW-Whitewater (18-2, 8-1 WIAC) its lone league loss Jan. 25 in Kolf Sports Center.
UW-La Crosse won this season's first meeting with the defending WIAC champion Titans, 71-57, during the league opener Jan. 4 in La Crosse. The Eagles, who were ranked 11th in the country during the first matchup between the teams, are seeking to sweep the regular season series against UW-Oshkosh for the first time since 2012.
UW-Oshkosh, which has won 10 of its last 12 games against UW-La Crosse, is coming off of a 66-62 setback at UW-Eau Claire (13-7, 7-2 WIAC) on Wednesday (Feb. 5) and a 69-65 overtime home loss to UW-Platteville on Jan. 29. The Titans, who secured their WIAC-record 13th regular season and fifth postseason league titles a year ago, have not suffered three consecutive conference losses since Feb. 14-21, 2015.
The Titans compiled a 7-4 nonconference record before winning four of their first seven conference games, including victories of 63-45 at UW-Platteville on Jan. 8, 64-47 at UW-River Falls on Jan. 18 and 64-59 at UW-Stevens Point on Jan. 22.
UW-La Crosse has won four of its last five conference contests by an average of more than 15 points, securing home wins by scores of 64-45 over UW-Stout on Jan. 22, 60-39 over UW-Eau Claire on Jan. 25 and 76-50 over UW-Platteville on Wednesday. The Eagles, who went 9-2 in nonconference play, took their sole loss over the past three weeks with a 73-47 setback at UW-Whitewater on Jan. 29.
UW-Oshkosh is averaging 66.6 points per game this season while allowing 58.5 per contest. The Titans boast an 11-0 record this season when they surrender less than 60 points and sport a 0-9 mark when allowing 60 points or more. UW-Oshkosh is the national leader by committing just 11.7 turnovers per game and also paces the conference with a 1.09 assist-to-turnover ratio while sharing the league lead with UW-La Crosse with 7.2 made 3-pointers per contest.
UW-La Crosse, which has scored at least 60 points in 15 of its 20 games, averages 66.2 points per contest and allows 57.3 per game. The Eagles are leading the WIAC with a .327 3-point percentage.
UW-Oshkosh's Leah Porath, the WIAC leading scorer, is averaging 18.6 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 49.1 percent from the field. A three-time WIAC Player of the Week this season, Porath has scored in double figures each of the last 24 games and paces the conference with 39 made 3-pointers and a .438 3-point percentage.
Nikki Arneson is contributing 10.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game to give UW-Oshkosh a pair of double-digit scorers after not having a player average 10 points per contest a year ago as the Titans reached the third round of the Division III Championship for the third time in six seasons.
Olivia Campbell averages 6.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.9 steals per game for the Titans to go along with a team-leading 18 blocks. A two-time member of the WIAC All-Defensive Team and 2019 honorable mention all-league pick, Campbell leads the conference this season with a 2.00 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The Titan offense features eight players averaging at least three points and 12 minutes played per game this season, including Karsyn Rueth at 6.6 points per contest, Brooke Freitag at 5.6, Emily Miller at 4.9, Abby Kaiser at 3.9 and Emily Higgins at 3.2. Rueth is shooting a conference-best 45.9 percent (17-37) from 3-point range during league play.
UW-La Crosse is led by a pair of returning All-WIAC First Team performers in Dani Craig and Emma Gamoke. Craig averages a team-high 11.5 points and 2.4 assists per game while Gamoke, who has missed the Eagles' last four games due to an injury, is adding 10.4 points per contest. The backcourt duo has combined to make 64 3-pointers this season, including 33 by Craig.
Rounding out the Eagles starting lineup are Delaney Schoenenberger at 9.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, Kyah Steiner with 7.0 points and a team-best 5.6 rebounds per contest, and Lexie Higgins at 5.1 points and 5.3 boards per game. Ava Kramer, who has started Gamoke's stead the past three weeks, adds 7.4 points a game leads the squad with 27 steals. Steiner is shooting a team-leading 48.7 percent from the floor while Schoenenberger has knocked down 27 3-pointers.
Key UW-La Crosse reserves include Kat Fitzgerald and Carly Coulthart, who chip in 5.1 and 4.3 points per game, respectively. Coulthart has shot 23 of 67 from 3-point range on the season.
UW-La Crosse is seeking to remain in contention for its 11th conference championship. The Eagles' 10 league titles are tied for second in conference history, but UW-La Crosse has not claimed the championship since 1983. Only UW-Platteville, which last won a WIAC championship in 1979, has endured a longer title drought than the Eagles among league teams.
UW-Oshkosh secured at least a share of WIAC regular season championships in 1985, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2017 and 2019. The Titans also won conference postseason titles in 1999, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019.