UW-Oshkosh tops Simpson in NCAA second round

INDIANOLA, Iowa – The No. 4/5 Simpson College women's basketball team saw its national tournament run come to a heartbreaking end on Saturday night as Wisconsin-Oshkosh defeated the Storm 64-56 in the second round of NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship.

Jenna Taylor tallied 24 points and six rebounds for the Storm (26-2), who closed an unforgettable season with the second-most wins in program history. Cameron Kincaid added 14 points and five boards, and Anna Wanek had seven points, five rebounds, and three assists to lead a senior-laden team who missed out on their chance to play for a national championship a season ago and will leave a lasting impression on the program.

Nikki Arneson scored 20 and Leah Porath had 18 points and nine rebounds to lead UW-Oshkosh (21-6), which advances to the Sweet 16 to face No. 10 Baldwin Wallace. Kennedy Osterman added 10 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists for the Titans.

After tornado warnings in central Iowa resulted in a 90-minute delay, the game finally got underway and opened with Taylor scoring the first basket of the night. The Titans responded with back-to-back 3-pointers before taking a 12-4 lead with 5:44 on the clock.

Following a timeout from the home bench, Simpson strung together 10 unanswered points fueled by five from Wanek. Jenna Jorgenson knocked down two consecutive triples for UW-Oshkosh, and the Storm trailed 18-16 after one period.

Taylor converted a pair of trifectas in the first minute of the second frame and added five more points over the next few minutes to help Simpson to a 29-24 edge with 6:39 left. The Titans closed the half on a 16-2 run for a 40-31 lead at the break. The visitors sank eight triples in the first two quarters.

Simpson trimmed the margin to four in the early minutes of the third quarter and a pair of Kincaid free throws tied the game at 45-all with just under 12 minutes left in the game. Another make behind the arc gave UW-Oshkosh a three-point lead at the end of the third, and Arneson provided some cushion for the visitors with a triple that set the score at 53-45 at the 8:25 mark. A 6-2 run later pulled Simpson within a basket, 57-54, but the Titans pushed back out by five shortly after and were able to close the game out at the line.