The nationally ranked UW Oshkosh women’s basketball team took down UW-Stevens Point by a narrow score of 54-50 on Wednesday night at Kolf Sports Center to improve to 17-0 on the season.
The 2024-25 UWO squad now owns one of the four best starts to a season in program history by tying the 1994-95 team at 17 consecutive wins. The 1994-95 team won 17 straight games at the beginning of the season before eventually advancing to the NCAA Division III national title game. The following year, Oshkosh went a perfect 31-0 and won the Division III title at Kolf Sports Center (Oshkosh was the pre-determined host of the final two rounds of the championship that year). In 1998-99, the Titans began their season 20-0 and played to the quarterfinal round of the national championship. Each of the three teams won at least a share of the WIAC regular season championship.
The Titans (17-0, 6-0 WIAC), ranked fourth in the nation by D3hoops.com and fifth by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, outshot the Pointers (13-4, 3-3 WIAC) beyond the arc, connecting on five of their 19 3-pointers (26.2 percent) compared to Stevens Point’s one of 11 (9.1 percent) from three point land. Oshkosh outrebounded the Pointers, securing 35 boards to 31, and the Titan bench came up big by notching 21 points to the Pointers’ four.
UWO was led by forward Paige Seckar, who notched her first career double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks in 21 minutes off the bench. Sammi Beyer contributed double-digit points for the Titans as well, registering 10 on an efficient 4-of-8 (50 percent) from the field. Kayce Vaile was big on the glass for Oshkosh, coming down with 10 rebounds to go along with eight points and a pair of assists.
The contest started with both teams trading buckets, knotting the score at 5-5 with 7:43 left in the first quarter. The Titans then jumped out to a four point lead before Stevens Point clawed back to again tie the game, this time at 11-all. Oshkosh closed the quarter on a 4-2 run to start the second period up 15-13.
UW-Stevens Point kicked off the second quarter by capturing the lead at 19-18 before the midway mark. The teams remained neck-and-neck, tying the contest at 21-21 at 3:27. Oshkosh surged by producing a 6-0 run to head into the locker room up 27-23. Beyer and Avery Poole each made a three in the last 1:48 of the quarter.
The Titans came out of the locker room hot, going on an 11-4 run to extend their lead to 38-27 by the time there was 4:36 remaining in the quarter. Oshkosh kept the momentum going on a 10-6 run to enter the fourth quarter up, 48-33.
Stevens Point started the fourth with a 17-2 run, tying the game up at 50-50 with just under two minutes left to play, however Oshkosh retained control of the lead as Seckar buried the go-ahead jumper with just 29 seconds to go. Vaile was then intentionally fouled and sunk both of her free throws with eight seconds left. Sarah Hardwick blocked Stevens Point’s last-second 3-point attempt and Vaile recorded the rebound, securing the Titans’ 17th victory of the season.
The Titans are slated for a road trip to River Falls to take on the Falcons of UW-River Falls at Don Page Arena on Saturday at 3 p.m. In the last 10 matchups between the two teams, the Falcons have won just once in a 73-64 victory in River Falls on Jan. 22, 2022.
