Second-Half Defensive Effort Helps Titans Defeat Bluejays
The UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team used a strong defensive effort in the second half to pull away for a 58-48 victory over Elmhurst College (Ill.) on Saturday (Dec. 20) in Atlanta, Ga.
The Titans limited the Bluejays to just nine points over the final 10:43 of the contest and only 26 percent (5-19) shooting in the second period.
Katelyn Kuehl led UW-Oshkosh (9-1) with 15 points and six rebounds. Eliza Campbell added 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting off the Titan bench. Ashley Neustifter contributed four points, five rebounds and eight of the team's 15 assists.
UW-Oshkosh, which entered the week ranked 12th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, had shooting percentages of 40.4 (23-57) from the floor, 26.7 (4-15) from behind the 3-point arc and 50.0 (8-16) from the free-throw line. The Titans outrebounded the Bluejays, 34-28, and won the turnover column, 11-18.
Elmhurst College (6-4) created a turnover and scored on its first possession in jumping out to a 6-0 lead.
The Titans registered their first points on a jumper by Marissa Selner at the 16:41 mark, but two Elmhurst College free throws and a basket by Fiona McMahon increased the Bluejays' advantage to 10-2 more than four minutes into the game.
UW-Oshkosh evened the score at 19 after the second of two Taylor Schmidt free throws with 6:37 left in the first period. The Titans gained their first lead on a jumper by Taylor Dagon and a 23-19 edge on a Campbell layup as part of a 21-9 run with 4:58 remaining before halftime. Elmhurst College then went on a six-point run to reclaim the lead with four minutes to play.
The Titans responded with seven straight points over the next two minutes to take a 30-25 advantage at the 1:43 mark, but the Bluejays rattled off five in a row to knot the score at 30. A free throw by Schmidt with one second left in the half provided UW-Oshkosh with a 31-30 lead at the break.
Tied at 34 with 16 minutes remaining, UW-Oshkosh went on an 8-1 run and held Elmhurst College without a field goal for nearly five minutes. Four different Titans scored baskets during the defensive stand that featured four missed field goals and one turnover by the Bluejays.
Elmhurst College converted layups on consecutive possessions to trim the Titans' lead to 42-39 with 10:43 remaining, but the Bluejays were limited to just two field goals the rest of the game, both in the last 48 seconds with UW-Oshkosh ahead by double-digits.
For a 10-minute stretch, the Titans held Elmhurst College to 0-for-9 shooting from the floor and forced four Bluejay turnovers while building a 58-44 lead with less than one minute to play. Highlighting UW-Oshkosh's 16-5 run during the decisive defensive stand were four points by Campbell and 3-pointers by Alicia Tollefson and Schmidt.
Two layups by Elmhurst College's Mikaela Eppard in the final minute provided the final score.
Eppard led all players with 20 points and 12 rebounds. No other Bluejay scored more than five points.
Elmhurst College, which entered the contest averaging 74.8 points, shot 37.5 percent (15-40) from the field, including a season-low 15.4 percent (2-13) on 3-point attempts. The Bluejays converted 16 of 20 (80 percent) free throws.
The win completed a 2-0 weekend for the Titans at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Holiday Classic after defeating host Oglethorpe University (Ga.), 72-59, on Friday (Dec. 19). Elmhurst College downed Oglethorpe University, 76-61, in the other matchup at the Classic.
Neustifter was named the Most Valuable Player at the three-team Classic. Kuehl was also named to the five-member All-Tournament team. Joining the two UW-Oshkosh players on the squad were Elmhurst College's Eppard and Hannah Lipman, and Oglethorpe University's Ciaira Hughes.
Neustifter totaled 13 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in the two wins. Kuehl's two-game totals included 22 points on 8 of 11 shooting, 16 rebounds and four assists.
UW-Oshkosh returns home to face Ripon College on Dec. 31 in Kolf Sports Center.