The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team mounted a comeback to draw within two possessions early in the fourth quarter but was unable to sustain the momentum Friday night in a 69-51 defeat at UW-Oshkosh in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game in Oshkosh, Wis.
 
Trailing by double digits, the Warhawks (2-2 overall, 2-2 WIAC) closed the third quarter on a 6-0 run and drew within five early just 14 seconds into the fourth on a layup by Rebekah Schumacher (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater).
 
The Titans (3-1, 3-1) scored the next eight points, and UW-Whitewater trailed by double digits the rest of the way.
 
Johanna Taylor (Wauwatosa, Wis./East) led the Warhawks with 10 points to go along with seven rebounds and two assists. Abby Belschner (Grafton, Wis./Cedarburg) collected seven points and two assists in 10 minutes off the bench, and 10 other players scored between 2-5 points in the contest.
 
Aleah Grundahl (DeForest, Wis./DeForest) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to go along with her five points and two assists.
 
UW-Whitewater's bench outscored UW-Oshkosh's reserves 27-12, and UW-W finished the game with a 14-8 advantage in second-chance points.
 
The game was within a possession for most of the first quarter. After a 3-pointer by Adriana Wood (Racine, Wis./Horlick) brought the Warhawks within 22-21 with 1:12 on the clock, the Titans scored the next five points for a six-point lead by the end of the period.
 
UW-Oshkosh's lead increased to double digits by the 6:16 mark of the second, and it led by 16 with 2:32 remaining as UW-W was held scoreless for a more than five-minute stretch midway through the quarter. The Titans took a 43-27 advantage into halftime.
 
The Titans built their lead to as many as 19 in the third before UW-Whitewater rallied, cutting its deficit to 11 by the midway point of the quarter.
 
The Warhawks return to the floor Wednesday at UW-Platteville. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.