OSHKOSH, Wis.- Holding the No. 1 seed in the WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver's) for the second consecutive year, the UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team will face UW-La Crosse in the semifinal round of the conference tournament at Kolf Sports Center on Thursday (Feb. 27) at 7 p.m.
 
The Titans (22-3), ranked 10th in the nation by D3hoops.com and 14th by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, will begin their 13th consecutive WIAC Tournament run on Thursday and hold the No. 1 seed for the fifth time in program history. UW-Oshkosh won its second consecutive and 16th regular season championship on Feb. 19 with a 64-42 win over UW-Eau Claire at Kolf Sports Center. The title is the fifth in the last nine years under head coach Brad Fischer and the Titans became the first team to claim sole possession two straight regular season championships since UW-Whitewater won the 2013 and 2014 crowns.
 
They have made an appearance in 24 of the 26 modern league tournaments and have won seven titles, tied for most with UW-Stevens Point. The Titans also lead the league in conference tournament wins and championship game appearances. Oshkosh won its first title in the first edition of the event in 1999 and most recently won three straight from 2019 to 2021.
 
UW-Stevens Point won its last WIAC Tournament title in 2013 to cap a string of six consecutive championships. UW-Stout is next with five league tournament titles, followed by UW-Eau Claire with four and UW-Whitewater with three.
 
The Eagles (16-10), participants in 22 WIAC Tournaments, qualified for the conference postseason for the eight consecutive tournament. They advanced to the semifinal round with a 71-67 win over No. 4 seed UW-Stevens Point on Tuesday (Feb. 25). La Crosse has not won a tournament title in the 27-year existence of the WIAC Tournament.
 
In the regular season, the Titans and Eagles split the series. Oshkosh won its home game, 68-50, on Jan. 18 and La Crosse took the return trip win by an overtime score of 64-56.
 
Thursday's other WIAC Tournament Semifinal game features second-seeded UW-Stout (19-6) and third-seeded UW-Whitewater (20-6) in Menomonie at 7 p.m. The Warhawks advanced to the second round with a 66-52 win over six seed UW-River Falls in Whitewater on Tuesday.
 
The Titans enter the tournament scored 65.6 points per game while holding opponents to a league low 49.3, which also ranks 14th in NCAA Division III. Their 16.3-point scoring is the highest in the WIAC. Additional conference best statistics for Oshkosh include team 3-point percentage (.349), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.13), opponent field goal percentage (.350), opponent 3-point percentage (.261), and blocks per game (4.44). The 3-point percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio also rank in the top-25 in the nation. With just 10.7 turnovers per game, UW-Oshkosh ranks first in the league and 14th in Division III.
 
Six Titans are averaging better than five points and 20 minutes per game this year.
 
Kayce Vaile (Fifth • Greendale) leads UW-Oshkosh's offense with 12.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Her rebounding average ranks second in the WIAC while her nine double-doubles are the most among players from the WIAC. Her .535 shooting percentage from the field and .784 free throw percentage are both team bests.
 
With a .433 clip from three, Alex Rondorf (Grad. • West Bend) ranks second in the league while averaging 6.2 points per game. Sammi Beyer (So. • Appleton) averages 9.7 points, Avery Poole (Jr. • Cottage Grove) adds 8.3, Kate Huml (Jr. • Janesville) 8.0, and Sarah Hardwick (Jr. • Green Bay) 5.0.
 
The Eagles come to Oshkosh averaging 67.5 points per game while allowing 63. Lauryn Milne leads the team with 15.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. She is shooting a team high .495 from the field, .425 from three, and .785 from the charity stripe. The league leader is Ali Sprangers who has recorded 32 across the season with a 1.2 average per game.
 
The winners of Thursday's semifinal round games will face off on Saturday (March 1) at the highest remaining seed. The winner of the conference tournament receives the WIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.