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Leah Porath scored 28 points against the Vikings by making 10 of 20 shots from the field and all five free throws.
Leah Porath scored 28 points against the Vikings by making 10 of 20 shots from the field and all five free throws.

Vikings Hand Titans First Loss Of Season

Box Score

Leah Porath's game best 28 points were not enough as the nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team suffered a 65-61 setback to Bethany Lutheran College (Minn.) on Friday (Nov. 12) at the College of Saint Benedict Tipoff Tournament in St. Joseph, Minn.

In a rematch of the 2020 NCAA Division III Championship Arden Hills (Minn.) Regional final, Bethany Lutheran College reclaimed the lead for good at 59-57 following a pair of Haley Meyer free throws with 3:39 left in the game. The Vikings' Taryn Christensen then registered a steal and a layup for a 61-57 advantage before Ashley Schindlee split two free throws for a 62-57 Bethany Lutheran College lead with 2:45 to play.

Another Vikings steal and a Christensen layup provided Bethany Lutheran College a 64-57 advantage with 95 seconds to go, and UW-Oshkosh trailed by at least four for the remainder of the contest.

Reigning Upper Midwest Athletic Conference champion Bethany Lutheran College (3-0) earned the victory in the first meeting between the teams since UW-Oshkosh eliminated the Vikings from the 2020 NCAA postseason with a 67-60 triumph during the regional final March 13, 2020.

Defending Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion UW-Oshkosh (2-1) entered the season ranked 17th in the country by D3hoops.com.

Porath, who shot 10 of 20 from the field and 3-for-6 from 3-point range has now scored double digit points in 45 of the Titans past 48 games. Porath, a 2021 D3hoops.com First Team All-American, also moved into a tie with Brittany Herrick for 18th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,062 points.

Julia Silloway and Ava Douglas chipped in nine and eight points, respectively, for the Titans, who shot 37% (20-54) from the floor, 33.3% (8-24) from beyond the 3-point arc and 76.5% (13-17) from the free throw line. UW-Oshkosh held a 16-16 edge in turnovers.

Hanna Geistfeld, a 2021 D3hoops.com Second Team All-American, led the Vikings with 17 points on 6-for-17 shooting from the floor to go along with three assists.

Sara Kottke had 16 points and seven rebounds for Bethany Lutheran College, which also received eight points, eight rebounds and three assists from Christensen.

Bethany Lutheran College held an 18-17 lead after one quarter during a matchup that featured 17 lead changes and five ties.

UW-Oshkosh outscored the Vikings, 17-10, during the second period to take a 34-28 lead into intermission and owned a 45-44 edge heading into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter included five lead changes in the first four minutes as the Titans retook edges of 48-47 on Porath's three-point play with 8:46 left and 52-51 following another Porath layup with 6:36 remaining. However, Bethany Lutheran College never trailed again after Geistfeld knocked down a jumper for a 53-52 advantage with 6:24 to play. A Douglas 3-pointer pulled the Titans even at 55 with 4:53 left, and UW-Oshkosh again tied the score at 57 on a pair of Abby Kaiser free throws with 3:50 remaining.

UW-Oshkosh closes out the tournament on Saturday (Nov. 13) against University of Minnesota Morris.

Photo credit: Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com