The UW Oshkosh women’s basketball team fell to UW-Stout 77-65 in the WIAC Tournament championship game Feb. 23 at the Kolf Sports Center.
With the win, Stout (21-7, 8-6 WIAC) earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, which begins March 1.
UWO (22-5, 12-2 WIAC) was led by guard Bridget Froehlke, who scored 17 points on 5-for-10 shooting from behind the arc. Guard Kennedy Osterman finished with 11 points and three assists while forward Kayce Vaile scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds.
The Titans, ranked No. 14 in the nation by d3hoops.com, shot 42.4% from the floor and 41.2% from behind the arc in the loss. Oshkosh outscored the Blue Devils 34-22 in the paint and forced 14 Stout turnovers.
Stout had four players finish in double-figures with guard Raegan Sorensen leading the way with a game-high 21 points and 13 rebounds. Amanda Giesen finished with 16 points and Lexi Wagner added 15 points for the Blue Devils.
UWS finished the game shooting 50% from the field, 50% from behind the arc and forced 11 Oshkosh turnovers.
Wagner opened the first quarter scoring with a 3-pointer for Stout, and the Blue Devils opened the game on a 12-2 run. A 3-pointer from Froehlke and a layup from Vaile brought the Titans to within five points midway through the period, but Stout responded with a 3-pointer to claim a 15-7 lead. With under two minutes to play in the quarter, Stout took a double-digit lead after a 3-pointer from Sam Schaeffer and the Blue Devils claimed a 24-11 lead at the end of the opening period.
Stout began the second quarter with a 3-pointer to give the Blue Devils a 16-point advantage. The two teams traded baskets for most of the quarter until a layup from Osterman kick started an 8-2 Oshkosh run that cut the deficit to 37-27. The Titans came within eight points after a 3-pointer from Froehlke, but a 3-point-play from Stout at the end of the half gave the Blue Devils a 43-32 advantage going into halftime.
Oshkosh opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer from Froehlke and the Titans embarked on a 9-2 run to cut the Stout lead down to four points. The Blue Devils responded with a jumper from Wagner, and Stout went on a 7-0 run midway through the quarter to claim an 11-point lead. Oshkosh ended the period on a 7-0 run and a last second layup from Osterman cut the Stout advantage to 58-53 at the break.
Giesen put Stout on top by eight points with a 3-pointer to begin the fourth quarter. A pair of layups from Sorensen and two free throws from Giesen gave Stout a 68-57 lead with six minutes to play. The Titans never cut the lead back to single-digits in the contest, and Stout cruised to a 12-point victory.
The Titans will wait to hear if they claim an at-large into the NCAA Tournament during the Division III women’s basketball selection show Feb. 26 at 1:30 p.m. central time. The live selection show can be watched on NCAA.com.
