Titans Put Eagles Away In Second Half

Alicia Tollefson ignited an 18-2 second-half scoring surge as UW-Oshkosh came back for a 51-42 win over the UW-La Crosse women's basketball team on Wednesday (Dec. 11) in La Crosse. The Titans (9-0/3-0 WIAC) are ranked 22nd in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com.

The Titans struggled early, beginning the game 1-of-14 shooting from the field. Tollefson then scored all 11 of her points in less than four minutes to put UW-Oshkosh ahead.

UW-La Crosse (5-4/1-2 WIAC) owned a 25-20 lead with 10:06 remaining. Taylor Schmidt then drained a jumper and Tollefson buried a three-pointer to tie the score at 25. Morgan Kokta added a three-pointer of her own to give her team the lead with 7:56 left on the clock.

Tollefson continued to find the net, sinking a jumper and two more shots from behind the arc. Her three-pointer with 5:15 left put the Titans on top, 38-27.

The Eagles clawed back with a steal and lay-in by Rachel Atchison. Erin Levenhagen then connected from long range to make it 44-39 with 2:50 to play. UW-Oshkosh made five free throws, including three by Schmidt, to finish the contest.

Katelyn Kuehl grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds for the Titans. UW-Oshkosh also had Schmidt total 12 points, six rebounds and four assists.

UW-La Crosse didn't get on the scoreboard until 4:14 into the game. As both squads were cold from the field, Kuehl hit a foul shot to give the Titans a 5-4 advantage. Levenhagen converted two free throws to send UW-La Crosse to halftime with a 15-12 lead.

Levenhagen scored the Eagles' first four points of the second half, while Maggi Bishop counted the next four, to give UW-La Crosse a 23-16 lead at the 13:27 mark.

The Eagles were led by Levenhagen, who attained 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. UW-La Crosse recorded 26 percent (12-47) overall shooting, to go with 2-of-13 accuracy (15 percent) behind the three-point arc and 16-of-26 success (62 percent) at the free throw stripe.

UW-Oshkosh finished with 29 percent shooting (14-49) after posting 42-percent accuracy (10-24) in the second period. The Titans made 6-of-19 three-point shots (32 percent) and 17-of-24 free throws (71 percent).

For the eighth time in nine games, UW-Oshkosh won the rebounding battle. The Titans held a 41-37 edge on the boards.

The Titans return home for a contest against St. Norbert College on Monday (Dec. 16).

By Jon Feyen