OSHKOSH, Wis.- Grace Knupp made a go-ahead layup with under two minutes left, Malia Nelson followed with a 3-pointer a minute later and UW-La Crosse overcame a double-digit second-half deficit to defeat UW-Oshkosh, 52-49, during the title game of the WIAC Women's Basketball Tournament (Presented by Culver's) on Friday (Feb. 27) in Kolf Sports Center.
 
La Crosse (18-9), ranked 24th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, trailed by as a many as 12 points at 38-26 with 5:44 left in the third period and took its first lead of the night on a Knupp layup that provided the Eagles a 46-45 edge at the 4:10 mark of the fourth period.
 
Oshkosh (24-3), ranked fifth nationally by D3hoops.com and seventh by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, reclaimed a 47-46 advantage following a pair of Paige Seckar (Oshkosh/Oshkosh West) free throws with 3:00 to go. However, Knupp's layup at the 1:47 mark gave the Eagles a 48-47 lead they would not relinquish.
 
The Titans then missed a jumper on their ensuing possession, and Nelson drilled a 3-pointer with 48 tick to play. A Seckar layup trimmed the Oshkosh deficit to 51-49 with 33 left. Knupp split a pair of free throws to extend the Eagles' cushion to 52-49 with 13 seconds remaining, and Oshkosh's attempt at a tying 3-pointer was off the mark as time expired.
 
With the win La Crosse, making its league tournament title game debut, clinches the WIAC's automatic berth into the 64-team Division III Championship that begins Friday, March 6.
 
Despite the loss Oshkosh is expected receive one of 21 at-large berths into the field. The Titans and Eagles will learn their NCAA Championship opponents and venues via a live online bracket reveal at 1:30 p.m. (central) on Monday (March 2).
 
Molly Janke led Eagles with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Knupp finished with 11 points and a game-best four assists while Madisyn Kilboten chipped in 10 points, and Nelson and Jenna Welsch had seven points apiece.
 
La Crosse, which had been eliminated by Oshkosh at each of the past five WIAC Tournaments, shot 37 percent (20-54) from the field, 40 percent (6-15) from 3-point range and 50 percent (6-12) at the free throw line. The Eagles held advantages of 9-5 in assists, 5-6 in turnovers and 4-1 in steals.
 
Seckar paced the Titans with 12 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high four blocks for her sixth double-double of the season.
 
Oshkosh's Sarah Hardwick (Green Bay/Notre Dame Academy) had 11 points and 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the year. Sammi Beyer (Appleton/Appleton East) added 11 points and a team-best three assists for the Titans, who also received seven points off the bench from Kate Huml (Janesville/Janesville Craig).
 
The Titans went 20-for-53 (37.7 percent) from the floor, 4-for-14 (28.6 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc and 5-for-7 (71.4 percent) at the foul line whole holding edges of 36-33 in rebounds and 7-4 in blocks.
 
Oshkosh owned leads of 19-10 after one quarter, 29-22 at halftime and 44-36 entering the final period. The Titans made just one of 10 field goal attempts during the fourth quarter, shooting 0-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc in the period.
 
The Titans had double-digit cushions on three occasions, including their largest advantage of 12 points at 38-26 following a Hardwick layup with 5:44 left in the third period.
 
Oshkosh swept the regular season series from the Eagles, winning by scores of 55-48 in La Crosse on January 7 and 61-35 in Oshkosh on February 18.
 
The Titans, the three-time defending WIAC outright regular season champions, were making their third straight league tournament title game appearance, 11th in the last 13 years and 17th overall. Oshkosh had ousted La Crosse during the first round in 2023 and the semifinals in 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025.