Titans To Host Blue Devils In First Round Of WIAC Championship

The UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team begins defense of its WIAC Championship (presented by Culver's) title when it hosts UW-Stout on Tuesday (Feb. 25). Tipoff for the first-round matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Kolf Sports Center.

Fourth-seeded UW-Oshkosh (15-10), which secured its fifth WIAC Championship title a year ago, split the regular season series with fifth-seeded UW-Stout (15-10), downing the Blue Devils by a 54-36 score Feb. 15 in Menomonie after falling to UW-Stout, 77-71 in double-overtime, Jan. 11 in Kolf Sports Center. The Titans, who earlier this month held the Blue Devils to their lowest point total since the 2014-15 campaign, have won 15 of their last 17 meetings in the series.

Tuesday's other WIAC Championship first round game features third-seeded UW-Eau Claire (16-9) hosting sixth-seeded UW-Stevens Point (10-15). Top seed UW-Whitewater (23-2), ranked fourth in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, and second-seeded and 24th ranked UW-La Crosse (19-6) both earned byes in the opening round of the league postseason and will host semifinal games Thursday (Feb. 27). The semifinal winners will play Saturday (Feb. 29) for the WIAC's automatic berth into the 64-team NCAA Division III Championship that commences March 6.

UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stout will face each other for the sixth time in the WIAC Championship. The Titans ousted UW-Stout from last year's conference tournament, slipping past the Blue Devils, 61-58, during the semifinal round. UW-Oshkosh, which has advanced to the league postseason final each of the past six years, claimed its conference-record 13th regular season crown last season before going on to win the WIAC Championship title as the top seed with a 69-40 rout at home over second-seeded UW-Whitewater.

UW-Stout owns a 3-2 record against UW-Oshkosh in league postseason play. The Blue Devils defeated the Titans during the 2007 quarterfinals after clinching the 2002 and 2005 tournament titles with wins over UW-Oshkosh in both finals. The Titans also defeated UW-Stout during the semifinals of the inaugural WIAC Championship in 1999.

UW-Oshkosh, making its eighth straight WIAC Championship appearance, sports a 26-13 record in the league tournament. The Titans' .667 winning percentage in the conference postseason is the best in the league while their 26 wins are tied for the most by any team. UW-Oshkosh, attempting to become the first fourth-seeded team to advance to the final, boasts a 19-4 record during the first round and a 9-4 mark at home during the WIAC postseason. The Titans, who have reached a record 12 conference tournament finals, secured WIAC Championship titles in 1999, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2019.

UW-Stout, making its second straight WIAC Championship appearance after failing to qualify in both 2017 and 2018, has compiled a 20-11 record in the league postseason. The Blue Devils own a conference-best 12-3 record in first round games but have yet to win on the road during the conference tournament, going 0-10 outside of Menomonie. UW-Stout is seeking to become the second fifth-seeded squad to reach the WIAC Championship final and first since then-member UW-Superior lost to UW-Oshkosh in the 2014 title game. The Blue Devils won conference tournament titles in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007.

UW-Oshkosh, averaging 67.8 points and allowing 58.4 per game, enters Tuesday leading the country with 12.0 turnovers per game while also pacing the conference in field goal percentage (.424), made 3-pointers (187) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.09). The Titans have won each of the past 24 games in which they have held opponents to under 60 points.

UW-Stout finished the regular season with the second-best scoring offense in the conference, averaging 68.6 points per contest while surrendering 64.1 per game. The Blue Devils, who lead the WIAC with a +7.4 average rebounding margin and 14.0 assists per contest, have scored more than 60 points 18 times in their 25 games.

UW-Oshkosh's Leah Porath is the league's leading scorer at 17.7 points per game. She also paces the conference with a .415 3-point percentage while ranking second with 44 made 3-pointers, third with 6.7 rebounds per game and fourth with a .494 field goal percentage. Porath has scored in double figures 28 times in the past 29 games.

Nine Titans are playing more than 10 minutes per game, including Nikki Arneson, who is averaging 11.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest while ranking third in the conference with a .795 free throw percentage.

Olivia Campbell, who has started all but one game for UW-Oshkosh over the past three seasons, leads the WIAC with 4.1 assists per game and a 1.94 assist-to-turnover ratio. Contributing 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest, Campbell also lists third in the league with 46 steals and fifth with 22 blocks.

Karsyn Rueth averages 7.5 points per game for the Titans, including 9.7 against conference opponents. In league play Rueth led the WIAC with 28 made 3-pointers and a .444 3-point percentage.

Brooke Freitag and Emily Miller are adding 5.4 and 4.8 points per game, respectively, for UW-Oshkosh, which also receives 4.1 points per contest from Katie Ludwig, 3.3 from Abby Kaiser, 2.9 from Emily Higgins and 2.6 from Claire Staples.

Amber Fabeck is the UW-Stout leading scorer at 12.6 points per game. She ranks fifth in the conference with 22 blocks.

Shannon Watkins averages 11.2 points for the Blue Devils to go along with a team-leading 6.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest, and 49 steals. She ranks second in the conference in both assists and steals per game.

Seven Blue Devils are scoring more than five points per game, including Liz Oswald at 8.6 per contest, Kat Christopherson at 7.3, Emily Jacques at 6.1, Haylee Jaeger at 5.9 and Lizzy Olsem at 5.6. Oswald is fifth in the league this season with a team-high 42 made 3-pointers.

UW-Whitewater is one of two programs to qualify for all 22 WIAC Championships, compiling a 12-19 record in the league postseason and clinching titles in 2017 and 2018. The Warhawks are the top-seeded team for the fifth time – all in the past 11 years. UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh have met in each of the last three conference tournament finals.

The Warhawks, who have won 18 of their last 19 home games, lead the conference in scoring (68.8), scoring defense (52.2), field goal percentage defense (.326), steals (10.0) and blocks (5.4) per game, and average turnover margin (+3.6).

UW-Whitewater's Becky Raeder averages a team-high 13.6 points and 2.6 assists per game while pacing the WIAC with a .868 free throw percentage and ranking fifth with 42 made 3-pointers.

Johanna Taylor, who has a conference-best .570 field goal percentage and 59 blocks, averages 8.6 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game for the Warhawks. Aleah Grundahl is second on the squad at 9.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest.

UW-La Crosse is seeking its first trip to the conference tournament finals. The Eagles, making their fourth straight WIAC Championship appearance, have a 5-16 record in the league postseason.

The Eagles, shooting a conference-best 33.7 percent from 3-point range, are averaging 68.2 points and surrendering 58.4 per game.

UW-La Crosse's Dani Craig has knocked down a WIAC-high 49 3-pointers and leads the team with 12.9 points and 2.4 assists per game. Six Eagles score better than six points per game, including Delaney Schoenenberger at 9.8 per contest, Emma Gamoke at 9.7 and Ava Kramer at 8.2. Kyah Steiner, who ranks third in the conference with a .500 field goal percentage, chips in 7.7 points and a team-best 5.9 rebounds per game for UW-La Crosse.

UW-Eau Claire is back in the conference tournament after missing the cut last season. The Blugolds sport a 23-16 record in the WIAC postseason, claiming titles in 2000, 2001 and 2003.

The Blugolds, scoring 63.2 points and allowing 58.0 per game, are led by reigning WIAC Player of the Year Hallee Hoeppner and Anna Graaskamp. Hoeppner is second in the league with a .516 field goal percentage, third at 14.6 points per game, and fourth with 6.6 rebounds per contest and a .784 free throw percentage. Graaskamp averages 11.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

UW-Stevens Point joins UW-Whitewater as the only programs to qualify for all 22 conference tournaments. The Pointers, who boast a 26-14 record at the WIAC Championship, own a league-high seven postseason titles, claiming crowns in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

This season the Pointers, who clinched the sixth and final seed with a win at UW-Platteville during the regular season finale, are scoring 62.1 points and surrendering 64.2 per game.

UW-Stevens Point is the only WIAC team with three double-digit scorers this season as Taylor Greenheck averages a team-leading 11.3 points per game while Bailee Collins and Amber Baehman add 11.2 and 10.5, respectively. Greenheck also paces the conference with 103 made free throws and ranks second with a .844 free throw percentage.

The top seed has won 14 of the previous 21 WIAC Championship titles, including the past two and each of the first nine. Second-seeded teams have won the conference tournament four times, while the third seed has emerged victorious on three occasions.

Ticket prices for Tuesday's game are $8 for adults, $5 for senior citizens (62-plus) and $4 for students (K-College). Children ages 4 and under are free.

WIAC Women's Basketball Championship Website: https://wiacsports.com/sports/2020/1/8/WBB_0108204850.aspx