MILWAUKEE, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team took an early 5-4 lead over the University of Dubuque (Iowa) and never looked back, defeating the Spartans 67-51 in its first game of the Wisconsin Lutheran College Paul F. Knueppel Classic on Friday (Nov. 15).
 
The Titans (3-0), ranked No. 8 in the D3hoops.com preseason poll and No. 13 by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, outscored the Spartans (1-1) in all four quarters, leading 34.5 percent (10-to-29) to 12.5 percent (1-of-8) from three, 77.3 percent (17-of-22) to 66.7 percent (8-of-12) from the line and 18-7 in points off turnovers. Dubuque held edges in field goal percentage, 42.0 percent (21-to-50) to 40.8 percent (20-of-49), 38-16 in points in the paint, and 22-17 in bench points.
 
Leading the Titans' four double-digit point efforts was Avery Poole (Jr. • Cottage Grove) with 13 points, who tallied seven points from the charity stripe. She also recorded four assists.
 
Alex Rondorf (Grad. • West Bend) and Kate Huml (Jr. • Janesville) both scored 12 points. Rondorf took all seven of her shots from beyond the arc, making four while adding five rebounds and three steals. Huml went 3-of-6 from the field and 6-of-6 from the line for her 12 points with a team best six assists.
 
Kayce Vaile (Fifth • Greendale) was Oshkosh's four scorer with at least 10 points, going 4-of-7 from the field and 2-of-4 from the line for 11 points. She also led the team with six rebounds (two offensive) and stole two possessions.
 
Dubuque scored the first four of the first six points of the game before the Titans took a 5-4 edge with just under six minutes left in the first quarter on Rondorf's first 3-pointer of the night. Paige Seckar (Fr. • Oshkosh) extended Oshkosh's lead to four points with a three of her own. UW-Oshkosh led by 10 points with just under a minute to play in the quarter after Sammi Beyer (So. • Appleton) connected on two 3-point attempts and Huml made a jump shot for eight straight Titan points. The Spartans cut the deficit to 20-12 on a layup before the end of the period.
 
Poole kicked off a 6-0 spurt for Oshkosh at the start of the second quarter with a free throw. She later combined for four points to give the Titans their largest lead of the first half (34-18) with a three and a field goal in the last three minutes of play.
 
Continuing her scoring streak, Poole added the first two points of the second half with two free throws 10 seconds out of the break. Vaile's layup pushed UW-Oshkosh's edge to 17 points before Dubuque scored two points. The Spartans decreased the Titans' lead to 12 points twice in the quarter, however Huml made a jumper to make the score 52-38 headed into the final period.
 
Huml connected on two free throws for Oshkosh's first points of the fourth quarter after a Spartan jump shot opened scoring, followed by another Rondorf 3-point shot. Between 4:27 and 2:50, Dubuque scored nine points, making the score 59-51 with under three minutes left in the game, but Oshkosh scored the final eight points on four Huml free throws, two Poole free throws, and a Vaile layup, handing the Titans' their third win of the young season.
 
The Titans return to action Saturday (Nov. 16) to face Wisconsin Lutheran at 3:15.