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Leah Porath scored a career-high 35 points by shooting 13 of 19 from the field, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range, and 6-for-8 at the free throw line.
Leah Porath scored a career-high 35 points by shooting 13 of 19 from the field, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range, and 6-for-8 at the free throw line.

Titans Advance To Eighth Straight WIAC Championship Final

Box Score

Leah Porath scored a career-high 35 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team earned an unprecedented eighth consecutive trip to the league tournament final with a 67-59 victory over UW-La Crosse during the semifinal round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship (presented by Culver's) on Wednesday (March 3) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (8-2), the two-time defending WIAC postseason champion, overcame a 24-23 halftime deficit by shooting 64 percent (16-25) from the field and making eight 3-pointers during the second half. The Titans, the WIAC East Division top seed, reclaimed a 32-31 lead they would not relinquish with 5:54 left in the third quarter.

West Division second seed UW-La Crosse (5-5) pulled within one point on two occasions in the final period at 43-42 and again at 56-55 with 4:22 remaining, but Porath answered with a jumper on the ensuing possession before Kennedy Osterman registered a steal near the 3-point line and drove for a layup that provided UW-Oshkosh a 60-55 advantage at the 2:15 mark.

After an Ava Kramer basket in the paint pulled UW-La Crosse within 60-57 with two minutes left, UW-Oshkosh's Nikki Arneson buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 63-57 lead with 96 seconds to go in the first meeting between the teams this season.

UW-Oshkosh, seeking its WIAC record-tying seventh league postseason championship, hosts East Division second seed UW-Whitewater on Friday (March 5). The opening tip is set for 7 p.m. in Kolf Sports Center. UW-Whitewater (8-2) won its semifinal contest, 74-62, at West Division top seed UW-Eau Claire (8-2) on Wednesday.

Porath, who tied a career high with 30 points during the Titans' 79-59 home win over UW-River Falls in the WIAC quarterfinals Monday (March 1), went 13 of 19 from the floor in the semifinals, including 3-for-3 from 3-point range, and 6-for-8 at the free throw line. Porath's double-double was her second straight and fourth in her four seasons as a Titan. The reigning conference Player of the Year and 2020 NCAA Division III All-American now paces the WIAC with 18.9 points per game and a .538 field goal percentage.

Jenna Jorgensen added nine points and six rebounds off the UW-Oshkosh bench while Titan starters Arneson and Kennedy Osterman chipped in eight and seven points, respectively. Arneson collected seven rebounds. Julia Silloway, the league leader with a 3.75 assist-to-turnover ratio, contributed five points and a team-leading three assists for the Titans.

UW-Oshkosh, winner of six of the last seven games in the series with UW-La Crosse, shot 43.6 percent (24-55) from the floor overall, 33.3 percent (9-27) from beyond the 3-point arc and 52.6 percent (10-19) at the foul line. The Titans owned advantages of 39-32 in rebounds and 5-2 in blocks. Both teams recorded 11 turnovers and four steals.

UW-La Crosse went 21 of 56 (37.5 percent) from the field, 7-for-16 (43.8 percent) from 3-point range and 10 of 11 (90.9 percent) at the foul line. The Eagles had a 13-11 edge in assists.

Kramer had a team-high 11 points for the Eagles, who also received nine points and nine rebounds from Alana Gilles, nine points apiece from Kat Fitzgerald and Emma Gamoke, and eight points from Shayley Vesel. Gamoke and Gilles both dished out a team-best three assists.

The Titans went into the semifinals leading the conference with 13.1 assists per game and a 1.04 assist-to-turnover ratio. UW-La Crosse was the WIAC leader with 50 blocks entering Wednesday.

UW-La Crosse was held scoreless for more than three minutes to begin the game before rallying to take a 17-10 lead after the first quarter. The Eagles once again opened seven-point leads at 20-13 and 22-15 during the second period but settled for a 24-23 edge at intermission as neither squad scored in the final 2:39 of the opening half.

UW-Oshkosh took its first lead since the 5:29 mark of the first quarter when Porath opened the third quarter scoring on a layup for a 25-24 advantage with 9:28 to play in the period. Porath, who accounted for each of the Titans' final eight points of the second quarter, scored the first 11 UW-Oshkosh points of the third period until Osterman drained a 3-pointer for a 37-31 Titan advantage at the 4:44 mark.

The Titans took a 43-39 lead into the fourth quarter and built their largest advantage of the night at 67-57 following a pair of Porath free throws with 35 seconds left.

UW-Oshkosh won WIAC Championship titles in 1999, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020 since the event began in 1999. The Titans also advanced to the league postseason championship game in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2017 and 2018.

UW-Whitewater claimed its two conference tournament championships in 2017 and 2018.

UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater will be meeting in the tournament's championship game for the fourth time in five years (2017-19, 2021).

2021 WIAC Women's Basketball Championship Website

Postgame Interview (Ricky Nelson) With UW-Oshkosh Head Women's Basketball Coach Brad Fischer

Photo by Steve Frommell, UW-Oshkosh Athletics