OSHKOSH, Wis.- UW-Oshkosh became the first women's basketball program in more than 40 years to clinch three consecutive outright WIAC regular season championships as the nationally ranked Titans downed the Eagles, 61-35, on Wednesday (Feb. 18) in Kolf Sports Center.
 
Oshkosh (22-2, 11-2 WIAC), ranked fifth in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com and seventh by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, is the first conference team to win three straight outright regular season crowns since UW-Green Bay claimed the Division II segment of the league from 1980-82. The only other program to ever accomplish the feat was La Crosse from 1972-76.
 
The Titans, who entered the night with the second-best scoring defense in Division III at 46.2 points per contest, held La Crosse (15-9, 8-5 WIAC) to its lowest point total in the 311 games since falling, 64-34, to UW-Stevens Point on January 4, 2014. Oshkosh has now held six opponents to less than 40 points on the year.
 
Oshkosh limited the Eagles to 26.4 percent (14-53) shooting from the floor, including 6.3 percent (1-16) during the second quarter, after heading into the matchup leading the conference with a .346 opponent field goal percentage.
 
The Titans owned leads of 16-10 after one quarter, 26-12 at halftime and 43-25 heading into the final period on the way to the largest margin of victory in the series since the Eagles defeated the Titans, 68-38, on February 9, 2009, in La Crosse. Oshkosh, which has won 14 of the last 16 meetings in the series, also defeated the Eagles by a 55-48 score in La Crosse on January 7.
 
Sammi Beyer (Appleton/Appleton East) paced all players with 16 points and five assists for the Titans. Beyer, who committed just two turnovers, went into Wednesday eighth nationally with a 2.41 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
Mallory Hoitink (Hartford/Slinger) added 11 points in 18 minutes off the Oshkosh bench while Sarah Hardwick (Green Bay/Notre Dame Academy) and Paige Seckar (Oshkosh/Oshkosh West) chipped in nine points apiece, and Olivia Argall (Dodgeville/Dodgeville) contributed seven. Hardwick matched her season high with a game-best 13 rebounds. Seckar registered two steals and a pair of blocks.
 
Oshkosh went 23-for-53 (42.6 percent) from the field, 7-for-18 (38.9 percent) from 3-point range and 8-for-10 (80 percent) at the free throw line. The Titans went into the night as the conference leaders in field goal (.413), 3-point (.327) and free throw (.714) percentages in addition to average scoring (17.9) and turnover (7.35) margins. The Titans, the only NCAA team regardless of division to average fewer than 10 turnovers per contest, owned advantages of 36-32 in rebounds, 12-4 in assists, 8-13 in turnovers and 7-6 in steals. Both squads notched four blocks.
 
Molly Janke paced La Crosse with nine points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
 
La Crosse scored the first six points of the game and again led by six points at 8-2 midway through the first quarter, but the Titans responded with 10 straight points for a 12-8 advantage and maintained the lead after Beyer drilled a 3-pointer for a 9-8 edge at the 2:51 mark.
 
A Janke jumper cut the Eagles' deficit to 16-12 with 8:09 left in the second period. However, La Crosse did not score again until 9:14 remaining in the third period as Oshkosh's 12-0 scoring run during the span pushed the cushion to 28-12. The Eagles missed 14 consecutive field goal attempts and committed a pair of turnovers in the nearly nine-minute stretch spanning the second and third quarters.
 
Oshkosh owned its initial 20-point advantage at 36-16 following a Seckar 3-pointer with 6:09 to play in the third period. The Titans then held at least a 20-point cushion the rest of the way after an Avery Poole (Cottage Grove/Monona Grove) layup for a 45-25 lead with 9:07 to go in the fourth quarter. Oshkosh built its largest lead of 34 points at 61-27 on a Hope Barington (Sobieski/Notre Dame Academy) layup at the 3:08 mark.
 
The Titans wrap up the regular season Saturday (Feb. 21) at UW-Stevens Point. The opening tip is set for 3 p.m. Oshkosh, which has won the past 14 meetings in the series, defeated Stevens Point, 64-41, on January 10 in Kolf Sports Center.