Related Links: 
WIAC Tournament Webpage

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team secured their spot in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship for the third consecutive season and sixth time in the last seven seasons. The Warhawks defeated UW-Oshkosh 65-57 in a semifinal Friday night. UWW will host UW-Eau Claire, a 68-67 winner at higher-seeded UW-Stout in the other semifinal, for the tournament title and the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament Sunday at 1 pm. 

The Warhawks bounced back from a slow start to battle back from an early double digit deficit. UW-Oshkosh opened up a 14-2 lead with 3:38 on the clock in the first quarter. UWW ended the quarter on a 10-2 run capped by a three-pointer from Aleah Grundahl (DeForest, Wis./DeForest) to pull within four, 16-12, at the end of the period. 

At the 8:07 mark in the second, Maggie Trautsch (Sun Prairie, Wis./DeForest) knocked down a triple, one of her six in the game, to knot the game 19-19. A few minutes later, Yssa Sto. Domingo (Streamwood, Ill./St. Edward) followed suit draining one from beyond the arc to claim the lead for UWW, 22-19. Then it was Trautsch again with the hot hand hitting another three-pointer to continue the Warhawk run. Grundahl's layup with just under three to play before the break made it an eight-point game, 27-19. 

UWW maintained the lead the rest of the way but a last second three-pointer for the Titans cut the margin to five, 32-27. 

A 7-0 Warhawk run mid-third quarter gave UWW a double figure lead, 43-32, but UW-Oshkosh responded ending the period with a 4-0 spurt. 

The final quarter went back-and-fourth but UW-Whitewater never led by less than four the rest of the way. 

Trautsch had the hot hand knocking down 6-8 from three-point range in a 21-point performance. Her career-high six three's is tied for the fourth-most in a game in program history. Kacie Carollo (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) added 15 points and eight boards while Abby Belschner (Grafton, Wis./Cedarburg) dropped in 13 points and registered three blocks. Grundahl was a point and rebound shy of a double-double. 

With the win Friday, the Warhawks tallied their 20th win of the season (20-6). UWW has posted at least 20 wins in 13 seasons under head coach Keri Carollo.