ROCK ISLAND, Ill.- UW-Oshkosh women's basketball bounced back from its loss to Wartburg College (Iowa) in the first day of the Augustana College (Ill.) Hyatt Place Tournament with an 89-42 victory over Bethany College (W.Va.) in Saturday's (Nov. 14) consolation game.
In the first meeting between the two programs inside the Roy J. Carver Center, the Titans (3-1), who are ranked sixth in NCAA Division III by
D3hoops.com and fourth by the
Women's Basketball Coaches Association, dominated the game with three quarters of 20-plus points while holding the Bison (1-2) to less than 13 points in each period including an 8-point fourth quarter.
Oshkosh shot 49.3 percent (36-73) from the field, 37 percent (10-27) from beyond the arc and 63.6 percent (7-11) from the charity stripe, leading Bethany in all three categories. The Bison went 33.3 percent (18-54) from the field, 30 percent (3-10) from 3-point range and 37.5 percent (3-8) from the line.
The Titans also held advantages in rebounds (40-35), assists (18-10), blocks (4-3) and steals (13-1). Oshkosh scored 46 of their points in the paint, 29 were tallied by bench players, 22 came off turnovers, 16 were scored on fast breaks and 13 came on second chances.
The Bison turned the ball over 22 times to the Titans' six.
Emily La Chapell (Appleton, Wis./Appleton East) paced the field with 21 points, going 8 of 11 from the field, 3 of 5 from three and 2 of 2 from the free throw line. She also tallied three assists, three steals and a rebound.
Olivia Witkowski (Fremont/Weyauwega-Fremont) poured on 14 points by shooting 6 of 8 from the field and 2 of 3 from the line while adding a game-high six rebounds.
Paige Seckar (Oshkosh/Oshkosh West) and
Mallory Hoitink (Slinger/Slinger) recorded 12 and 11 points, respectively. Seckar added four rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block and Hoitink registered three rebounds, three assists and a block.
Bethany scored the first points of the game reclaimed the lead at 9-7 with 6:29 left in the first quarter before a 6-0 run for Oshkosh that included two Witkowski layups flipped the lead in the Titans' favor. La Chapell closed out the first period on her own 5-point spurt that created an 18-11 advantage.
The Titans used the second quarter to build their lead up to 18 points by halftime using a combination of short runs and not allowing the Bison to score more than one basket in a row.
Oshkosh opened the third period with three consecutive layups that pushed the deficit past the 20-point mark and responded to a Bethany jump shot with a 20-0 run over nearly six minutes.
Megan Geason (Franklin/Oak Creek) capped off the run with a free throw and a layup that made the score 66-24 with 2:38 left in the quarter. Bethany fought back to a 34-point deficit before the fourth quarter started.
Ella Fracnois kickstarted a 9-0 spurt at the beginning of the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and
Jada Aliesa (Kuwait City, Kuwait/American School of Kuwait) capped it off with a tip-in layup. The Bison strung together consecutive baskets with a pair of free throws on separate trips to the line at 6:03 and 4:44 while holding the Titans scoreless and added a jumper before
Addie Post (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake Area) ended their longest run of the game with a basket from beyond the arc. Following Bethany's final basket at 2:53, Oshkosh added seven points on an
Ashlyn Knapp (Prairie du Chien/Prairie du Chien) field goal and a layup and 3-pointer by
Audrey Meudt (Waunakee/Waunakee).
Lindsey Best led the Bison with nine points on 4 of 11 from the field with a 3-pointer and a team-high three assists while Kate Botti pulled down a team-best nine rebounds.
The Titans are set to face Central College (Iowa) (2-3) and Calvin University (Mich.) (2-2) in the UW-Platteville Marc Heidorf Memorial Classic on Nov. 20-21. Oshkosh is 3-0 against the Dutch and 3-3 against the Knights.
Oshkosh opens its home schedule on Dec. 2, hosting Buena Vista University (Iowa) (2-1), another first-time opponent, inside Kolf Sports Center.
