OSHKOSH, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team handily defeated Central College (Iowa) in the UW-Oshkosh Classic at Kolf Sports Center on Friday night (Nov. 22), fueled by a 48-15 first half.
 
The No. 8/13 nationally ranked Titans (5-0) shot 50 percent (32-of-64) from the field, 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from three and 100 percent (7-of-7) from the line in the win with 36 points in the paint, 21 off the Dutch's 20 turnovers, 16 on second chances, and 45 from a very productive bench.
 
Kate Huml (Jr. • Janesville) and Sammi Beyer (So. • Appleton) each recorded 17 points, two rebounds and two assists. Huml went 7-of-12 from the field, 1-of-2 from three and 2-of-2 from the line while Beyer shot 8-of-12 from the field with a 3-pointer. Sarah Hardwick (Jr. • Green Bay) and Kayce Vaile (Fifth • Greendale) pulled down six rebounds apiece. Hardwick led the Titans with two blocks and two steals and Olivia Argall (Jr. • Dodgeville) registered three assists.
 
The Titans led from the get-go, scoring their first points on a good layup by Vaile. Hardwick notched her first steal and passed to Huml to put UW-Oshkosh up 4-0 before Central scored for the first time. Avery Poole (Jr. • Cottage Grove) kicked off a 7-0 run for the Titans with a three and they extended their lead to 22-7 on another 7-point spurt, heading into the first break up 24-9.
 
A Mallory Hoitink (So. • Hartford) layup and two Poole free throws were the first points scored of the second quarter. The Dutch were held to a pair of layups and non-consecutive free throws in the period while Oshkosh reached a 30-point lead on streaks of nine and seven points, leading 48-15 at halftime.
 
The Dutch put their first substantive run together at the beginning of the third quarter with five points to cut the deficit to 28 just over a minute into the period. UW-Oshkosh's lead was under 30 points just once more when Samantha Scott hit a 3-pointer with 3:59 remaining in the quarter and the Dutch began to score more regularly, however the Titans kept added to their total at the same clip, increasing their lead to 34 points when Beyer and Hoitink combined for four points before the buzzer went off.
 
The Titans were held scoreless for nearly four minutes in the middle of the fourth quarter, but Central couldn't find the bottom of the basket to cut the deficit and UW-Oshkosh's lead hovered above 30 points for much of the final period. Mayah Holzhueter (Jr. • Cambridge) pushed Oshkosh's score above 80 points for the first time of the season on a layup with about a minute and a half remaining.
 
The Titans will face Wheaton College (Ill.) (3-2) on Saturday (Nov. 23) at 3:15 p.m. The Thunder fell to UW-Platteville (4-1), 58-49, at Kolf Sports Center in Friday's first matchup.