WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis.- UW-Oshkosh women's basketball used a trio of 20-point quarters to fly past Edgewood University, 78-42, in its final game of the Justagame DIII Invitational on Saturday (Dec. 20).
 
The Titans (9-0), ranked third in the most recent D3hoops.com national poll and fourth in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll, moved to 15-1 all time against the Eagles (5-6 3-0 NACC) with 20 points in the first quarter and 24 in both the third and fourth periods while holding Edgewood to a game-high 16 points in the third quarter and eight in both the first and second.
 
Oshkosh shot 47.3 percent (26-of-55) from the field, 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from three, and 84.2 percent (16-of-19) from the line in the contest, all the second-highest marks so far this season. The Eagles recorded 35 rebounds to Oshkosh's 30; however, they committed 16 turnovers against the Titans' five and stole three possessions to nine.
 
Sammi Beyer (Appleton/Appleton East) opened the neutral site contest with a first-possession 3-pointer, followed by two free throws by Sarah Hardwick (Green Bay/Notre Dame Academy) for an early 5-0 edge. Edgewood kept the score close with a pair of layups before Paige Seckar (Oshkosh/Oshkosh West) and Hardwick combined for four points and Kate Huml (Janesville/Janesville Craig), Hope Barington (Sobieski/Notre Dame Academy), and Bridget Froehlke (Wrightstown/Wrightstown) responded to a 4-point Eagle run with the last eight points of the period. Huml started the run with two points, Barington made a layup, Froehlke connected from beyond the arc, and Huml added another point from the charity stripe for a 20-8 lead.
 
Both teams tallied their first points on and-1 layups before the third minute of the second quarter and traded six baskets across the remainder of the 18-point quarter. Neither program scored for over four minutes between 4:56 and 0:53 that included a Seckar block and two Eagle turnovers.
 
After Edgewood cut the deficit to 35-21 with 7:53 to go in the third period, the Titans went on a 4-0 spurt before using a 10-4 run that featured back-to-back 3-pointers by Mallory Hoitink (Hartford/Slinger), three Hardwick points, and another Barington layup to claim a 54-30 lead with 1:16 on the clock. The Eagles made a layup in their next possession and Huml held the score at 54-32 by blocking a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
 
The Titans took control of the game from the start of the fourth quarter and never allowed Edgewood to score more than three points at a time. Megan Geason (Franklin/Oak Creek) sank a pair of shots from the line to begin a string of 11 straight points that pushed Oshkosh's lead beyond the 30-point mark and Mallory Lindsey (Mineral Point/Mineral Point) capped off the run with another two free throws. Late in the period, Mahra Wieman (Sparta/Reedsburg Area) converted an and-1 layup and responded to a 3 by Edgewood with another layup before Addie Hefel (Galena, Ill./Galena) added a 3-pointer, creating a game-high 38-point edge. The Eagles scored the final points with a layup with 16 seconds remaining.
 
Hardwick led all scorers with a game-high 12 points on 4-of-5 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line. She also recorded three rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
 
Olivia Argall (Dodgeville/Dodgeville) and Sammi Beyer (Appleton/Appleton East) scored nine points and two rebounds each; Argall shot 3-of-3 from 3-point land and Beyer shot 3-of-6 from the field with a 3-pointer and 2-of-2 from the line while doling out three assists and registering a steal.
 
Paige Seckar (Oshkosh/Oshkosh West) pulled down a team-best five rebounds and Abbey Inda (Cottage Grove/Monona Grove) and Froehlke notched two steals apiece.
 
The Titans return to Oshkosh for their next game, hosting the University of Minnesota Morris (3-8) at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 28, at the Oshkosh Arena in the BSN Winter Classic. Oshkosh won the programs' first meeting, 82-31, in the 2021 College of Saint Benedict Tipoff Tournament.
 
UW-Oshkosh will then play former WIAC foe UW-Superior on Monday, December 29, at 3:30 p.m. In the all-time series between the Titans and Yellowjackets, Oshkosh holds a 63-6 edge.