Titans Defeat Eagles In WIAC Semifinal
OSHKOSH, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team defeated UW-La Crosse by 25 points in the second round of the WIAC Tournament on Wednesday night (Feb. 21), hosted at the Kolf Sports Center.
Kayce Vaile (Sr. • Greendale) led the Titans with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Mackenzie Tlachac (Sr. • Kewaunee) collected 15 points and Kennedy Osterman (Sr. • Pewaukee) registered 12 points with six rebounds and six assists. Bridget Froehlke (Jr. • Wrightstown) had 11 points and six rebounds.
The Titans shot 51.6 percent (32-of-62) from the field, 30.8 (four-of-18), and 90 percent (nine-of-10) from the line, leading the Eagles in field goal and free throw percentages. The Titans also led in points off turnovers (13-6), second chance points (12-2), points in the paint (50-16), and bench points (29-6).
La Crosse opened the first quarter with a jump shot followed by a free throw to put the Eagles on the board. Vaile secured a layup to bring the game to a one point difference followed by a jump shot from Froehlke to capture the lead. The Eagles took the edge back with a three-pointer before a jump shot from Froehlke tied the score, 6-6, with 3:24 left in the first quarter. The Titans went on a 12-point spree to secure an 18-6 lead and the quarter ended with a three-pointer from the Eagles.
The teams exchanged three-pointers to open the second quarter followed by a three and a two, both from Olivia Argall (So. • Dodgeville). A layup from Vaile secured an 11-point lead for the Titans, which La Crosse followed up with a jump shot before a three-pointer from Argall brought the lead back to 12 points. The Eagles converted a pair of free throws, while Tlachac scored two layups for Oshkosh. Titans went on an eight-point run to lead by 20 points over La Crosse. The Eagles closed out the second quarter with a three pointer.
The Eagles opened the third quarter with a three-pointer, followed by a layup. Kate Huml (So. • Janesville) registered a jump shot before La Crosse shot another three-pointer. Sarah Hardwick (So. • Green Bay) scored off a layup followed by a two free throws from the Eagles and the teams went back and forth with points for the remainder of the quarter while the Titans held a convincing 16 point lead.
A jump shot from the Eagles kickstarted the fourth quarter, leading to a three-pointer from Osterman. A jump shot from the Eagles was followed by an 11-0 run from the Titans to hold a 26-point lead. La Crosse was unable to come back from the deficit and the Titans secured the 25-point victory.
The Titans will face UW-Stout in the WIAC Championship game on Friday (Feb. 23) at the Kolf Sports Center at 7 p.m. UW-Oshkosh swept the Blue Devils in the regular season, winning by scores of 63-58 and 58-47. The Titans have not lost to the Blue Devils at home since a 77-71 double-overtime loss on January 11, 2020. UW-Stout advanced to the WIAC title matchup by defeating UW-Platteville 81-71 on Monday (Feb. 19) and UW-Whitewater 69-59 on Wednesday (Feb. 21). Both wins came on the road.
Written by Emily Buffington, UW-Oshkosh Sports Information