Nationally Ranked Titans Win Home Opener
OSHKOSH, Wis.— Improving to 4-0 on the season, the No. 22/18 UW-Oshkosh Titans women's basketball squad battled to an 81-71 victory over the Edgewood College Eagles in the home opener.
The Titans were led by freshman Sarah Hardwick, who led the Titans with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Hardwick recorded her first collegiate double-double adding 11 rebounds in her home debut.
The Titans remained ranked in the D3hoops.com poll (No. 22) and the WBCA poll (No. 18).
The Titans have won 12 of their last 13 home openers.
Game Summary
Tying the game at five early, Hardwick broke an early two-minute scoring drought for the Titans off an offensive board. Bridget Froehlke hit a basket from beyond the arc as the Titans went on a 7-0 run over 90 seconds. With a nine-point early lead, the Eagles brought the game within one in the closing seconds of the first quarter. Kennedy Osterman hit a buzzer-beating shot for the Titans for a four-point lead after one.
With the Titans maintaining their lead, the teams traded baskets to open the second quarter. The Titans would take a seven-point lead on a Hardwick layup with 7:38 remaining in the half. The Titans would extend their lead to nine several times as the Eagles offense found answers to pressure from the Titans. With a late basket by the Eagles, the Titans took 36-29 lead at the break.
The Eagles came out firing to start the third quarter, trimming the Titans lead to one at 38-37. Taking the lead for the first time in the game, the Eagles' Paige Banks hit a shot from beyond the arc and a layup with 30 seconds. Jenna Jorgensen hit a shot from beyond the arc to tie the game at 42. The contest would be tied at 47 on a Julia Magnuson layup as the Titans reclaimed the lead. Froehlke and Douglas extended the Titans lead to four as the Titans defense held the Eagles scoreless for nearly six minutes.
An Avery Poole 3-pointer extended the Titans lead to nine early in the fourth quarter as the Titans continued their offensive groove. The Titans allowed only five points over two minutes as Osterman and Ava Douglas added to the Titans lead. The Eagles came within four at 68-64 as Forney answered with a basket from beyond the arc. Poole gave the Titans their first double-figure lead with 2:34 remaining in the game on a 3-pointer. Osterman sealed the Titans first home victory on a 3-pointer as Allison Forney assisted with the play.
Titan Leaders
Coming off the bench for the Titans, Poole added 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Osterman and Forney were the final two Titans in double digit scoring, tallying 13 points (5-of-9 FG) and 12 points (4-of-6 FG) respectively.
Collectively, the Titans shot over 50% from the field (31-of-61 FG) and went 9-of-11 from the charity stripe. The Titans were outrebounded by one but collected five steals over turnovers from the Eagles offense.
Road Warriors
The Titans are on the road for five of the first seven games this season. The Titans are set to compete at the Augustana College Tournament on Nov. 18 and 19 in Rock Island, Illinois. The Titans will take on DePauw University on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. and will play either Dubuque or Augustana on Nov. 19.