Third-Quarter Performance Helps Titans Defeat Blue Devils

Karsyn Rueth led all players with 16 points and Leah Porath added 15 as the UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team led wire to wire during a 54-36 victory at UW-Stout on Saturday (Feb. 15).

UW-Oshkosh (14-9, 7-5 WIAC) scored 15 seconds into the contest and never looked back, building an early 7-0 lead before putting the game away by outscoring UW-Stout, 22-7, during the third quarter. The Titans shot 61.5 percent (8-13) from the field in the pivotal third period while holding the Blue Devils, the WIAC's top scoring team, to 18.2 percent (2-11) as UW-Oshkosh entered the final quarter with a 45-26 advantage and maintained a double-digit lead for the final 14:38 of the game.

The defending WIAC champion Titans, who have won 15 of their last 17 meetings with UW-Stout, avenged a 77-71 overtime loss to the Blue Devils on Jan. 11 in Oshkosh. UW-Stout, which was denied its first regular season sweep over the Titans since the 2008-09 campaign and entered the day averaging a WIAC leading 70.5 points per contest, was held to its lowest point total since a 52-36 setback at UW-La Crosse on Feb. 4, 2015. The Blue Devils have not defeated UW-Oshkosh in Menomonie since a 58-50 decision Feb. 5, 2011.

UW-Oshkosh remains fourth in the league standings while UW-Stout (14-9, 5-7 WIAC) stays fifth with two games left before the six-team conference tournament commences Feb. 25. UW-Whitewater (21-2, 11-1 WIAC), ranked fourth in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, clinched at least a share of the conference title Saturday.

Rueth, who paced the Titans in scoring for the second time this season, finished two points shy of her career high by shooting 6-for-10 from the field, 2-for-5 from 3-point range and 2-for-2 at the free throw line. She scored 10 of her points during the third period and tied her season best with five rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench.

Porath, the WIAC leading scorer at 18.3 points per game, went 5-for-10 from the floor and recorded a team-leading six rebounds, three assists and two steals en route to her 27th consecutive double-digit scoring effort. Porath, who went 1-for-5 from 3-point range Saturday, also paces the conference with 44 made 3-pointers and a .431 3-point percentage on the year.

Nikki Arneson had nine points for UW-Oshkosh, which also received five points apiece from Brooke Freitag and Katie Ludwig. Olivia Campbell chipped in four points, five rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals for the Titans after entering the day leading the WIAC with 4.2 assists per game and a 1.98 assist-to-turnover ratio.

UW-Oshkosh shot 21 of 47 (.447) from the field, 6-for-23 (.261) from beyond the 3-point arc and 6-for-9 (.667) at the free throw line. The Titans owned advantages of 37-29 in rebounds, 11-7 in assists and 2-1 in blocks.

UW-Stout went 15 of 52 (.288) from the floor, 3-for-13 (.231) from 3-point range and 3-for-7 (.429) at the foul line. The Blue Devils, who established a new season low in rebounds, had edges of 14-16 in turnovers and 8-7 in steals.

Amber Fabeck and Katie Christopherson both had a team-high eight points for the Blue Devils. UW-Stout's Shannan Watkins added six points to go along with a game-high nine rebounds and three steals.

UW-Oshkosh went into Saturday leading the country with 11.9 turnovers per game and also paced the conference in made 3-pointers per game (7.5), 3-point percentage (.331) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.08). UW-Stout, which grabbed a season-low five offensive rebounds against the Titans, was the WIAC leader in scoring, average rebounding margin (+7.0) and per-game rebounds (41.5), offensive rebounds (16.1) and assists (14.6).

The Titans' 7-0 run to open the game began with a 3-pointer and a layup from Arneson and continued with a Campbell layup on their first three possessions of the game. Rueth scored in the lane to extend the UW-Oshkosh advantage to 16-6 late in the first quarter before UW-Stout answered with a layup of its own to pull within 16-8 after one period.

UW-Stout cut its deficit to two points on a pair of occasions during the second quarter, but Ludwig scored on a layup to provide the Titans a 23-19 advantage at intermission.

The Blue Devils once again pulled within two points at 23-21 and again at 25-23 before UW-Oshkosh closed out the final eight minutes of the decisive third period on a 20-3 run. Rueth accounted for the last 10 of the Titans' 20 points during the run as she bookended her spurt on 3-pointers with 3:09 left and at the third quarter buzzer.

UW-Stout was held scoreless from the 4:18 mark of the third quarter until there was 8:14 remaining in the game, missing seven straight field goal attempts and committing three turnovers during the stretch of more than six minutes.

UW-Oshkosh held its largest lead of 21 points at 54-33 following a Rueth jumper with 2:53 left.

The Titans remain on the road to play conference leading UW-Whitewater on Wednesday (Feb. 19). UW-Oshkosh handed the Warhawks their lone league loss with a 62-51 decision Jan. 25 in Oshkosh.

Photo courtesy of Layne Pitt