Titans Begin Quest For Third Straight WIAC Tournament Title At Home Against Falcons

The UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team begins its quest for a third straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament title when it hosts UW-River Falls for a quarterfinal matchup Monday (March 1). The opening tip is set for 7 p.m. in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (6-2) is the top seed in the league's East Division while UW-River Falls (2-6) is the fourth seed in the West Division. Monday's other quarterfinal games at the season-ending, eight-team league tournament feature West Division top seed UW-Eau Claire (7-1) hosting East Division fourth seed UW-Platteville (2-6), East Division second seed UW-Whitewater (6-2) welcoming West Division third seed UW-Stout (2-6) and East Division third seed UW-Stevens Point (3-5) traveling to West Division second seed UW-La Crosse (4-4).

The 23rd annual WIAC Championship (present by Culver's) continues with semifinals Wednesday (March 3) and concludes with the title game Friday (March 5).

UW-Oshkosh and UW-River Falls will be meeting for the first time this season. The Titans have won 11 consecutive games against UW-River Falls, including all three previous matchups between the teams in the WIAC Championship. UW-Oshkosh swept last year's regular season series over the Falcons by scores of 64-47 and 88-49. The Titans also bounced UW-River Falls from the conference tournament three straight seasons, winning by scores of 65-64 in the 2016 championship game, 56-48 during the 2017 semifinals and 64-51 in the 2018 first round.

The Titans have reached the WIAC tournament championship game an unprecedented seven consecutive seasons. UW-Oshkosh, seeking its seventh overall league postseason title, owns a 29-13 record at the WIAC Championship. The Titans, who have the most wins in conference postseason play, won the WIAC Championship in 1999, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020. UW-Oshkosh, which finished as the conference runner-up in 2017 and 2018, secured the title last season with a 52-50 victory at UW-Eau Claire on the way to advancing to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 before the national tournament was halted due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

UW-Oshkosh enters the WIAC Championship scoring 69.8 points per game and allowing a league-leading 57.8 points per contest. The Titans also pace the conference with a .445 field goal percentage, 12.5 assists per game and a 0.95 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Reigning WIAC Player of the Year Leah Porath leads the Titans and ranks third in the league at 15.5 points per game while adding a team-best 4.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals per contest.

Seven Titans are averaging more than six points per game on the year, including Jenna Jorgensen at 8.9, Nikki Arneson at 8.6, Karsyn Rueth at 7.6, Abby Kaiser at 7.5, Julia Silloway at 7.3 and Kennedy Osterman at 6.6.

Jorgensen boasts a WIAC-leading .577 field goal percentage this season. Team leaders also include Rueth's 15 made 3-pointers, Silloway's 22 assists, Kaiser's 13 steals and Arneson's .853 free throw percentage. Osterman ranks second on the squad with 12 steals, and Ava Douglas has chipped in 16 assists.

UW-River Falls, which has compiled a 7-18 record in the league postseason, is attempting to reach the WIAC Championship semifinals for the first time since 2017.

The Falcons ended the regular season scoring 66.4 points per game and allowing 75 points per contest. UW-River Falls has made a league-best 64 3-pointers this season and also leads the league by allowing opponents to shoot just 25.5 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

UW-River Falls is led by a trio of double-digit scorers in Macy Nilsen, Jenna Zeman and Colie Justice. Nilsen averages 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Zeman is scoring 12 points per contest to go along with a team-high 26 assists while Justice adds 10.9 points per game and is tied for second in the conference with teammate Haley DeSouza with 17 made 3-pointers.

UW-Eau Claire, averaging a WIAC-high 73.5 points per game and yielding 61 per contest, is the league leader in free throw (.833) and 3-point (.377) percentages (.833). The Blugolds' Katie Essen is the top scorer in the conference, averaging 16.6 points per game.

UW-Whitewater is scoring 66.5 points and allowing 58.2 per game. The Warhawks, winners of four straight games, head into the WIAC tournament with the league's top field goal percentage defense at .357 as well as conference bests with 45 blocks, 98 steals, and a +6.13 average turnover margin.

UW-La Crosse averages 62.2 points and surrenders 60.8 per contest. The Eagles have the top average rebounding margin in the WIAC at +4.4.

UW-Stevens Point, which scores 59.4 points and gives up 68.6 per game, won its most recent WIAC postseason championship in 2013.

UW-Stout, averaging 66.1 points and allowing a league-high 76.8 per game, leads the conference with 40.4 rebounds per contest.

UW-Platteville scores 62.9 points and yields 68.6 per contest. The Pioneers' Maiah Domask averages a double-double at 15.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.

UW-Stevens Point has won a league-record seven WIAC Championship titles. UW-Stout has four league postseason crowns, UW-Eau Claire three and UW-Whitewater the remaining two.

Spectators will not be allowed at WIAC Championship events during the winter sports season. All contests will be conducted in accordance with NCAA Division III regulations, as well as institutional, state and local health and safety guidelines.

All UW-Oshkosh women's basketball games are streamed live online. The links will be posted on the UW-Oshkosh women's basketball schedule page when available.

2021 WIAC Women's Basketball Championship Website • 2021 WIAC Women's Basketball Championship Program