The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team put forth a strong defensive effort and withstood a late rally Wednesday night to upend No. 12 UW-Oshkosh 49-47 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest in Oshkosh.
 
The Warhawks (9-7 overall, 2-3 WIAC) held the Titans to 29.4 percent shooting from the floor, including 4-of-24 (16.7 percent) in the first half. The team led by six with 1:44 to play but nearly let its lead slip away, surviving a late turnover to hang on for its second road win over a nationally ranked opponent of the season.
 
Junior guard Becky Raeder (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) tallied 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with four rebounds and two assists to lead UW-Whitewater, which shot 52.2 percent in the second half.
 
Senior forward Olivia Freckmann (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) contributed 10 points, five rebounds and two steals, and senior forward Sarah Schumacher (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) and junior guard Megan Corcoran (Madison, Wis./LaFollette) each posted seven points.
 
UW-Oshkosh (14-2, 4-1) held the lead for most of a low-scoring first quarter. The Titans took their largest lead of the frame at 11-6 with 1:13 to go before freshman guard Veronica Kieres (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) converted a layup on the Warhawks' final possession.
 
UW-Whitewater tied the game just over two minutes into the second on a layup by junior guard Camri Conley (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland). The Titans held the lead until the 1:43 mark of the quarter, when Corcoran knocked down a 3-pointer to give the Warhawks a 19-17 advantage into halftime.
 
UW-Whitewater held the lead throughout the third quarter, taking its largest advantage with 8:39 to play following a layup by Raeder that made it 23-17. The team led 34-32 by the end of the frame.
 
Raeder hit back-to-back jumpers to give the Warhawks a 42-34 advantage three minutes into the fourth. UW-Oshkosh whittled its deficit down to two by the 4:07 mark, but UW-Whitewater pushed the lead right back up to seven following a free throw by Schumacher and consecutive layups by Freckmann and Raeder.
 
The Titans hit a 3-pointer on their next possession, but Schumacher responded by putting back her own miss with 1:44 remaining to make it 49-43.
 
UW-Oshkosh hit another 3-pointer on its next possession to cut the Warhawk lead in half, and converted a free throw with 53 seconds on the clock.
 
The two teams traded empty possessions before the Titans forced a turnover in waning moments and missed a shot on the other end. Freckmann grabbed the rebound as the buzzer sounded.
 
UW-Whitewater hosts UW-River Falls this Saturday at 3 p.m. at Kachel Gymnasium.