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Titans To Receive Visit From Nationally Ranked Warhawks

Titans To Receive Visit From Nationally Ranked Warhawks

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The UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team will attempt to hand nationally ranked and conference-leading UW-Whitewater its first loss in more than two months when the teams meet Saturday (Jan. 25) in Oshkosh. The opening tip is set for 3 p.m. in Kolf Sports Center.

Saturday's clash is a rematch of last season's WIAC Championship title game that UW-Oshkosh won, 69-40, over the Warhawks in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Whitewater (16-1, 6-0 WIAC), ranked sixth in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, enters Saturday on a program record-tying 14-game winning streak. The Warhawks, who suffered their lone loss by one point in overtime Nov. 16, have won their six conference games by an average of 20.2 points.

UW-Oshkosh (10-7, 3-3 WIAC) returns home after winning its last two league contests on the road. The defending WIAC champion Titans, who have won at least 20 games and finished among the top two teams in the conference each of the past seven seasons, are tied for fourth in the league standings with eight games remaining.

UW-Whitewater sports a 7-2 record against UW-Oshkosh since the 2016-17 campaign, but the Titans have won four of the past seven meetings held in Oshkosh.

UW-Oshkosh went 7-4 in nonconference play before opening up its WIAC schedule with a loss at 11th-ranked UW-La Crosse. The Titans rebounded with a victory at UW-Platteville but suffered two straight home losses, falling in double-overtime to UW-Stout and by two points against UW-Eau Claire. UW-Oshkosh, seeking its first conference home win of the year, has since evened its conference record via victories at both UW-River Falls and UW-Stevens Point.

The Titans are leading the country with 11.2 turnovers per game and rank 11th nationally with an 11.2 assist-to-turnover ratio. UW-Oshkosh, averaging 67.2 points and allowing 57.8 points per contest, boasts a 10-0 record when it holds opponents to less than 60 points this season.

UW-Whitewater has played in just three games decided by fewer than 12 points on the year. The Warhawks' 14-game winning streak began with a 25-point rout at Augustana College (Ill.) and included a 50-point victory at Elmhurst College (Ill.) since they lost, 70-69 in overtime, to 10th-ranked DePauw University (Ind.). UW-Whitewater's only two wins by less than 12 points this season were a 53-52 decision over Concordia University Wisconsin and a 75-69 triumph over 17th-ranked University of St. Thomas (Minn.). The Warhawks' closest WIAC result this year was 14-point win at UW-La Crosse.

The Warhawks lead the conference in scoring (71.2), scoring defense (52.4), scoring margin (+18.8), field goal percentage (.438), field goal percentage defense (.327), free throw percentage (.746), turnovers forced (20.2) and steals (11.0) per game, turnover margin (+4.5), and blocks (89).

WIAC leading scorer Leah Porath paces UW-Oshkosh with 19.2 points and 6.8 points per game, 34 made 3-pointers, a .512 field goal percentage and a .453 3-point percentage. Porath, who has scored at least 10 points in 21 consecutive games, leads the conference in 3-point shooting percentage and ranks second in made 3-pointers.

Six different Titans are averaging at least five points per game this season, including Nikki Arneson at 9.9, Karsyn Rueth 6.5, Olivia Campbell 6.4, Brooke Freitag 5.6 and Emily Miller 5.1. Arneson is shooting 45.5 percent from the field and a team-leading 79.5 percent at the free throw line while Rueth has made 23 3-point shots.

Campbell, who was named to the WIAC All-Defensive Team the past two seasons, currently leads the league with a 2.35 assist-to-turnover ratio and ranks second in the conference with 73 assists and 36 steals. She has dished out 14 assists and committed just one turnover over the past three games.

The balanced UW-Whitewater offense features nine players averaging more than four points and 13 minutes played per contest.

Becky Raeder is leading the Warhawks at 13.4 points, 2.8 assists and 33.7 minutes played per game, and 26 made 3-pointers while pacing the conference with a .879 free throw percentage. No other Warhawk plays more than 26.3 minutes per contest.

Rounding out the UW-Whitewater starting lineup are Aleah Grundahl at 9.6 points per game, Johanna Taylor at 7.7, Veronica Kieres at 7.2 and Rebekah Schumacher at 5.0. Rebekah Schumacher replaced the injured Emily Schumacher, the Warhawks' only returning All-WIAC player, in the team's 10th game of the season. Taylor, shooting 63.6 percent from the floor, leads the conference with 33 blocks and grabs a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game.

Headlining the UW-Whitewater reserves are Abby Belschner at 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, Courtney Oomens and Yssa Sto. Domingo, who are chipping in 5.7 and 4.5 points per contest, respectively. Sto. Domingo's 30 steals are a team high.

UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater have combined to win the past three WIAC regular season titles and each of the last six league postseason titles. The Titans, who own a WIAC-record 13 regular season titles, claimed both the regular season and postseason championships last season. UW-Whitewater swept the conference regular season and postseason titles in 2018.

Saturday's contest is also Alumni Day for the UW-Oshkosh women's basketball program. Alumni Day festivities begin at 10:30 a.m. with a basketball game that will feature nearly 20 former Titan stars, including All-WIAC First Team selections Eliza Campbell, Katelyn Kuehl, Isabella Samuels, Taylor Schmidt and Jennie (Vosters) Kraftzenk.