Kim Wellnitz tallied eight of her 23 points in the final 3:12 to give UW-Platteville a 68-63 victory over the UW-Oshkosh women's basketball team on Wednesday (Jan. 25) in Kolf Sports Center.

The contest was tied at 54 when Wellnitz broke the Titans' momentum with a three-pointer. She then added another long-range jumper at the 1:04 mark to stretch UW-Platteville's lead to 64-58. The Pioneers (8-11/4-6 WIAC) drained four free throws to close out the game.

Katie Kitzke (Jr. • South Milwaukee) led three UW-Oshkosh (7-11/1-8 WIAC) players who tallied career-high scoring totals. Kitzke marked 21 points and six rebounds, while Heather Conroy (Fr. • Wisconsin Dells) posted 13 points and Nichole Paisar (Fr. • Leopolis) 12. The Titans shot 59 percent (16-27) during the second half to come back and take their first lead in 32 minutes.

As UW-Oshkosh opened the night with 1-for-9 shooting, the Pioneers amassed a 14-3 lead. Ashley Henry supplied her team's first seven points, with Jordan Johnson booking the next five.

The margin remained around 10 points for the rest of the first half. UW-Platteville misfired on five straight shots before Wellnitz swished a pair of jumpers to go ahead, 25-13. Conroy and Paisar combined for UW-Oshkosh's last nine points of the period to pull within 27-22 at halftime.

After allowing eight offensive rebounds during the first 20 minutes, the Titans surrendered just two the rest of the way. An 11-2 scoring run was capped by Alicia Tollefson's (Fr. • Crystal Falls, Mich.) three-point play to tie the score at 39 with 12:55 remaining.

The game would be deadlocked three more times before the Pioneers grabbed control. Liz Lawinger sank a jumper with the foul, and Henry did the same moments later to gain a 52-50 cushion with 5:15 left.

Henry totaled 17 points and a game-high seven boards, as Lawinger tacked on 11 points and four assists for UW-Platteville. The Pioneers converted 13-of-15 foul shots (87 percent), all in the second half, to go with 42 percent (25-60) shooting and 26-percent deep accuracy (5-19).

The Titans committed 14 turnovers, compared to just nine for the Pioneers. UW-Oshkosh, playing its only home game in a span of 35 days, finished with 48 percent (24-50) shooting, 28-percent marksmanship (5-18) behind the arc and 10-of-16 success (63 percent) on free throws.

A five-game WIAC road trip begins at UW-La Crosse on Saturday (Jan. 28).