The nationally ranked UW Oshkosh women’s basketball team won its third straight game after taking down UW-La Crosse 68-56 on the road at Mitchell Hall Gymnasium (Jan. 17).

The Titans (13-3, 4-1 WIAC), ranked No. 21 in the nation by d3hoops.com, shot 47.7% from the field and 39.1% from behind the arc. UWO paced the Eagles in assists (14-12), bench points (20-12), steals (13-6) and forced 21 La Crosse turnovers.

Oshkosh was led by guard Kennedy Osterman who scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds on 6-for-9 shooting from the floor. Forward Kayce Vaile added 16 points and nine rebounds while guard Kate Huml finished the game with 11 points.

The Eagles opened the scoring in the first quarter with a Lauryn Milne 3-pointer, but Vaile responded with a layup on the other end for UWO and the Titans proceeded to go on a 16-3 run to take a 12-point lead. UWL scored the last five points of the period, but the Titans held onto an 18-11 lead after the first quarter.

The Eagles began the second quarter on a 12-6 run and UWL took a 26-24 lead following a jumper from Milne with under five minutes to go in the half. Osterman responded with five-straight points two minutes later to put the Titans ahead of the Eagles 29-28 at halftime.

UWO’s Bridget Froehlke knocked down a 3-pointer to kick off the scoring in the third quarter and with under eight minutes to go in the period, the Titans embarked on an 8-0 run to take a 40-31 lead. The Eagles trimmed the Oshkosh advantage to six points, but an Olivia Argall 3-pointer jump started a 7-0 run to give the Titans a 13-point lead. La Crosse scored the last four points of the period, but UWO maintained a 47-38 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Titans extended their lead to 12 points at the start of the fourth quarter following a pair of Huml free throws. The UWO lead reached as high as 15 points in the final period as the Titans cruised to a 68-56 win.

UWO, who remains in second place in the WIAC standings, will return to the Kolf Sports Center Jan. 20 to take on UW-Stevens Point at 3 p.m. for Alumni Day.