UW-Oshkosh stormed back from a 13-point deficit and dominated the second half to post a 59-53 win over Loras College (Iowa) on Monday (Nov. 15) in Dubuque, Iowa.
Katie Kitzke (So. • South Milwaukee) drilled a three-pointer with 10:29 remaining to put the Titans (1-0) in front for good. She finished with 12 points and three steals, while Shelby Churchill (Sr. • Sheboygan) amassed 15 points and 12 rebounds. UW-Oshkosh also received 14 points from Michelle Boeder (Sr. • Oshkosh) and seven assists from Megan Wenig (So. • Oshkosh).
Boeder connected from long range late in the first half to make it a 33-23 Duhawk lead at intermission. During the first three minutes of the second period, the Titans tallied six straight points, with four coming at the foul line. Churchill's three-point play cut the deficit to 35-31 with 16:47 on the clock.
Loras College stretched its cushion to six points before UW-Oshkosh took over. Kitzke and Megan Lund (Jr. • Reedsville) each hit a triple to cap 10 unanswered points by the Titans that put them up, 43-39.
A three-point jumper by Alex Hudson brought the Duhawks within 48-46 with 6:43 to play, but UW-Oshkosh again had a response. The Titans booked seven straight points, including three free throws from Sarah Stecker (Fr. • Menasha), to make it 55-46 with 3:26 on the clock.
UW-Oshkosh, which shot 9-for-25 (36 percent) in both halves, also came out strong to open the contest. Wenig's jump shot gave them a 6-4 lead, which was later extended to 12-6 on her three-pointer. Churchill also connected from downtown at the 13:08 mark to give the Titans a 14-9 advantage.
The Duhawks grabbed the momentum by holding the Titans scoreless for more than six minutes. During that span, Loras College had six different players record a field goal to go ahead, 33-20. Lay-ups by Katie Sharp and Kelsey Yerkes in the final 1:32 allowed the Duhawks to gain their halftime cushion.
Loras College made just 6-of-28 shots in the closing half to finish at 33.3 percent for the game (20-60). The Duhawks, who committed 18 turnovers and grabbed 17 steals, nailed 3-of-17 three-point attempts (17.6 percent) and 10-of-16 free throws (62.5 percent). Melissa Herrmann paced her squad with 19 points, while Hudson tacked on 10 points and seven rebounds and Lindsey LaBadie 14 points.
The Titans used a 44-32 rebounding edge to overcome their 27 turnovers. UW-Oshkosh compiled 36 percent shooting (18-50) from the floor, 40 percent accuracy (6-15) from three-point range and 77.3 percent efficiency (17-22) on free throws.
The home opener is Tuesday (Nov. 16) when UW-Oshkosh welcomes Lawrence University to Kolf Sports Center.