Titans Drop Season Finale To League-Leading Warhawks

Nicole Bundy marked a game-high 23 points and punctuated the crucial 12-1 run with a three-pointer to lead UW-Whitewater to its 75-62 win over the UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team on Wednesday (Feb. 17) in Whitewater. The contest was the Titans' 2009-10 season finale.

With 11:06 to play, UW-Oshkosh (8-17/3-13 WIAC) cut its deficit to five (55-50) when a jumper from Michelle Boeder (Jr. • Oshkosh) fell through the net. The Warhawks, who remain tied with UW-Stevens Point for the conference lead, then started their scoring run with a lay-up from Sarah Moran at the 10:45 mark.

After Katie Kitzke (Fr. • South Milwaukee) made a free throw to cut the lead to 57-51, UW-Whitewater (18-6/11-4 WIAC) extended the cushion to 62-51 with jumpers from Chantel Burg and Bundy.

A lay-up from Kelsey Hendrickson, followed by a long trey from Bundy, ended the run with 6:29 remaining and gave the Warhawks a 67-51 advantage. The Titans cut that margin to 11 (69-58) at the 3:54 mark following free throws from Laura Ebbens (Jr. • Appleton).

The two teams traded buckets for a stretch, with Shelby Churchill (Jr. • Sheboygan) knocking down a jumper with 1:15 to play. Burg then made two foul shots with 55 seconds remaining, creating the game's final score.

Dannielle Bauer (Jr. • Dell Rapids, S.D.) made a lay-up at the 18:20 mark for the game's first basket. UW-Whitewater then scored the next nine points, including four from Cortney Kumerow, for a seven-point lead with 16:18 on the clock.

UW-Oshkosh pulled within 11-8 at the 12:50 mark on a lay-up from Churchill and a pair of free throws from Boeder. The Warhawks answered, earning a 21-9 advantage with a 10-1 streak that featured four points each from Kumerow and Hendrickson.

Kitzke briefly got the Titans as close as 21-14 at the 8:40 mark with two free throws, but Hendrickson's three-point play and a jumper from Heidi Sonntag brought the lead back to 12 (26-14).

Churchill knocked down a jumper at the end of a 7-0 scoring streak for UW-Oshkosh, bringing the Titans within five at the 5:45 mark of the first half. The Warhawks' advantage was 31-25 with 2:50 to go before three consecutive jumpers fell through the net for Bundy, helping UW-Whitewater earn a 40-25 halftime cushion.

The Titans received a trey from Churchill and a jumper from Ebbens to cut the Warhawks lead to 12 (42-30) with 18:27 remaining. The Titans had an answer for each UW-Whitewater basket, getting as close as 10 thanks to a jumper from Kelsey Myklebust (So. • Wisconsin Dells).

UW-Oshkosh cut the Warhawks' cushion to single digits with 13:37 to play when Megan Wenig (Fr. • Oshkosh) dialed in from long range. Ebbens later added four points of her own, bringing the Titans within 55-48 at the 11:46 mark.

Kitzke led all Titans with 11 points and two blocks in the contest, while Myklebust tallied 10 points and corralled eight rebounds. Wenig and Boeder each served up two assists, in addition to Boeder's two steals.

UW-Whitewater received nine rebounds and three assists from Bundy. Hendrickson added 18 points and three steals, while Kumerow scored 12 points and blocked two shots for the Warhawks.

UW-Oshkosh shot 33.9 percent (19-56) from the field and 80 percent (20-25) from the charity stripe. The Titans made 4-of-12 (33.3 percent) from three-point range, gathered 38 rebounds and committed 17 turnovers.

UW-Whitewater posted shooting marks of 46.3 percent (31-67) from the field, 33.3 percent (4-12) from behind the three-point arc and 64.3 percent (9-14) from the free-throw stripe. The Warhawks gathered 41 rebounds and committed 13 turnovers.