OSHKOSH, Wis.- UW-Oshkosh women's basketball never trailed on the way to defeating UW-Whitewater, 71-63, in a matchup of nationally ranked teams during the WIAC opener Saturday (Jan. 3) in Kolf Sports Center.
 
Oshkosh (12-0, 1-0 WIAC), ranked third in the D3hoops.com poll and fourth by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, remained unbeaten after taking the lead for good with 6:07 left in the first quarter, building a 19-point cushion during the third period and withstanding a late UW-Whitewater surge that whittled the advantage to 56-51 at the 6:26 mark of the final period.
 
Whitewater (10-2, 0-1 WIAC), ranked 10th in both national polls, lost its league opener for the first time since 2008-09.
 
The Titans and Whitewater have combined to claim at least a share of the past nine conference regular season titles as Oshkosh was outright champion during that span in 2017, 2019, 2021, 2024, and 2025.
 
Paige Seckar (Oshkosh/Oshkosh West) had a game-high 20 points for the Titans to go along with a team-leading nine rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Seckar, who finished one point shy of matching her career best, shot 6-for-12 from the field and 8-for-9 at the free throw line.
 
Kate Huml (Janesville/Janesville Craig) added a season-high 16 points in 20 minutes off the Oshkosh bench, going 4-for-6 from the floor and 7-for-8 at the foul line.
 
Avery Poole (Cottage Grove/Monona Grove) contributed 13 points, shooting 5-for-7 from the field, including 2-for-4 from 3-point range, while Sammi Beyer (Appleton/Appleton East) rounded out Oshkosh's four double-digit scorers with 11 points and a game-best four assists.
 
Oshkosh shot a robust 52.1 percent (25-of-48) from the floor, 36.4 percent (4-of-11) from beyond the 3-point arc and 81 percent (17-of-21) at the charity stripe. The Titans, who became the first Whitewater opponent this season to shoot better than 50 percent from the field and commit fewer than 15 turnovers, held advantages of 29-26 in rebounds, 11-9 in assists, 8-12 in turnovers, 6-3 in steals and 4-0 in blocks.
 
The Warhawks went 23-for-54 (42.6 percent) from the field, 8-for-19 (42.1 percent) from 3-point range and 9-for-10 (90 percent) at the free throw line. Whitewater, which set new season lows in rebounds and steals, lost despite establishing season highs in made 3-pointers, 3-point percentage and free throw percentage.
 
The Titans went into the contest as the NCAA Division III leader in turnovers per game at 9.5 while ranking fourth in scoring defense (43.8) and seventh in turnover margin (10.73).

Mia Gillis paced the Warhawks with 15 points while Renee Rittmeyer added 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Bri McCurdy had nine points and a team-leading three assists for Whitewater.
 
Oshkosh reclaimed a 6-4 lead it would not relinquish following a Seckar layup. Mallory Hoitink (Hartford/Slinger) beat the first-quarter buzzer with a layup for a 17-11 advantage that increased to 33-25 at halftime.
 
Huml, who scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half, later drilled a 3-pointer that provided the Titans with their largest cushion at 52-33 with 3:15 left in the third period.

Trailing 56-42 entering the final quarter, Whitewater pulled within five points at the 6:26 mark on a Gillis layup. However, Sarah Hardwick (Green Bay/Notre Dame Academy) answered with a layup of her own on the ensuing Oshkosh possession, and the Titans went on to maintain at least a seven-point lead for the final five minutes.
 
The Titans have won their first 12 games of the season seven times since the 1974-75 campaign. Oshkosh also accomplished the feat in 1975-76, 1994-95, 1995-96, 1998-99, 2004-05, 2013-14 and 2024-25.
 
Oshkosh continues conference play at 7 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 7) at UW-La Crosse. The Eagles (8-4, 1-0 WIAC), who are receiving votes in the D3hoops.com poll, have won one of their previous 11 meetings with the Titans and will be seeking to snap a four-game losing streak in the series.