OSHKOSH, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team hosted UW-Whitewater in the championship game of the WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver's) at Kolf Sports Center on Saturday (March 1). The Warhawks jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in the 64-61 win.
 
UW-Oshkosh shot 44.6 percent (25-of-56) from the field, 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from three, and 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from the line in the league title matchup. Thirty-one of the Titans' points came off the bench while 32 were scored in the paint and 11 were earned on second chances.
 
Sammi Beyer (So. • Appleton) led all scorers off the bench with career highs of 27 points and 12 made field goals. She shot 3-of-8 from beyond the arc, adding three rebounds and two assists.
 
Kate Huml (Jr. • Janesville) joined Beyer with 10 points on 4-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from the line. Kayce Vaile (Fifth • Greendale) scored eight points, pulled down seven rebounds, and added a pair of blocks and steals each.
 
Whitewater scored first, jumping out to a 5-0 lead before two Vaile layups and a Beyer three tied the score at 7-7 with 4:57 left in the first quarter. The Warhawks jumped ahead, and Oshkosh matched them twice more in the period, tying the score at 9-9 and 11-11. A 7-2 run in the last 1:49 gave the visitors an 18-13 edge.
 
The Warhawks held the Titans to 12 points in the second quarter and didn't allow Oshkosh to score more than two points in a row. Whitewater slowly grew its lead to 15 points with about a minute left before halftime, however a pair of free throws for Mallory Hoitink (So. • Hartford) cut the score to 38-25 with 35 seconds to go.
 
After the Warhawks scored their 40th point at the start of the third quarter, Oshkosh went 7-0 to make the score 40-32 at 7:09. Down the stretch, the teams traded baskets while Whitewater's lead hovered around low double digits.
 
Beyer tallied the first five points of the final period with a three at 8:41 and a layup at 8:03. UW-Oshkosh trailed Whitewater by five points after her second basket. Following another Warhawk advantage increase, the Titans climbed within four points, then three points, then one point between 3:51 and 1:48 before Whitewater again increased its edge. Vaile brought Oshkosh within a basket again on a layup with 16 seconds to go and Huml followed a Whitewater free throw with a jumper just inside the three-point line, making the score 62-61 with five seconds on the clock. A pair of free throws for the Warhawks grew the deficit to three points again and a last-second shot fell short for Oshkosh.
 
UW-Oshkosh fell to 23-4 on the year while UW-Whitewater moved to 22-6 and earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.
 
The Titans await an at-large bid to the Division III Championship. The selection show for this season's tournament will begin at 1:30 p.m. central time on Monday (March 3). The live show can be watched on NCAA.com.