Titans Hold Off Tigers in Illinois
ROCK ISLAND, Ill.—Kayce Vaile recorded her second double-double this season for the Titans as the No. 22/18 UW-Oshkosh Titans (5-0) held off a late charge by the DePauw University Tigers (1-2), 56-48.
Vaile led all scorers with 20 points, going 8-of-17 from the field, and grabbed 20 rebounds for the Titans. Vaile's rebounds were the most by a Titan since Kay Mikolajczak grabbed 20 boards against UW-Stout in 2003.
Game Recap
Vaile recorded the first seven points of the contest for the Titans. Outscoring the Tigers in the first quarter 14-8, the Titans defense held the Tigers without a basket for nearly five minutes.
Kennedy Osterman, on an assist by Allison Forney, hit a 3-pointer to open the second quarter for the Titans, extending their lead to seven. Moments later, Osterman returned to the favor to Forney for a 3-pointer and the largest lead of the game for the Titans.
After having their lead trimmed to four at the break, Vaile made the first layup of the second half for the Titans. Back-to-back baskets by the Tigers cut the Titans lead to two with 8:03 remaining before tying the game at 28 with 6:31 remaining. On an old-fashioned three-point play, Ava Douglas gave the Titans the lead back with six minutes on the clock. The Tigers battled back, bringing the game with one on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the quarter.
The Tigers took the lead at 38-37 with 9:12 remaining in the game. Vaile broke a nearly four minute scoring drought, collecting an offensive board, and taking the lead back for the Titans. Forney completed an old-fashioned three-point play as the Titans extended their lead to four. The Tigers brought the game back within three with 4:44 remaining in the game. The Titans went on a 7-3 run over the three minutes, extending their lead to six at 51-45. Making three trips to the charity stripe in the final 30 seconds of play, the Titans went 5-of-6 from the line and held off the late surge by the Tigers.
Titan Leaders
Jenna Jorgensen would be the second Titan in double-figure scoring adding 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
Douglas and Osterman went perfect from the free throw line as the Titans shot a combined 57.1% from the charity stripe.
The Titans and Tigers were nearly even along the final stat lines. The Titans shot 35.6% (21-of-59) from the field and added six shots from beyond the arc. The Tigers went 34.4% from the field with five shots from beyond the arc. The Titans matched the Tigers in rebounds, with both teams recorded 38 rebounds in the contest.
Next Time on the Court
The Titans will face tournament hosts, Augustana (3-0), on Nov. 19. In the opening game of the tournament, the Vikings defeated the University of Dubuque 64-61 following a second half surge.