Taylor Schmidt swished two free throws with 1.7 seconds left to give UW-Oshkosh a 58-56 victory over St. Norbert College on Monday (Dec. 16) in Kolf Sports Center.

The Titans, ranked 21st, became the first 10-0 team in the NCAA Division III this season.

With St. Norbert (6-2) leading, 56-54, Sarah Stecker got fouled in the lane with 43 seconds remaining. Stecker buried both foul shots to tie the score. After the Green Knights missed a jump shot, Schmidt drove to the hoop and drew contact, earning a trip to the line with 1.7 on the clock.

The extremely tight contest featured 15 ties, including nine in the second half. Both teams rely on a strong defense, with St. Norbert ranking fifth in the nation (48.3 points per game) and UW-Oshkosh eighth (49).

The Green Knights found a groove early, knocking down 11-of-12 shots to start the game. Morgan Heim converted a three-point play, while Brianna Byrne counted a deep jumper, to put St. Norbert ahead, 25-16.

After its hot start, St. Norbert made just one of its next 16 shots from the field.

UW-Oshkosh got a spark from two freshmen. Schmidt buried a three-pointer, and Maggie Novak splashed a triple of her own to make it 25-22. The Titans then took a 28-27 lead on two free throws by Katelyn Kuehl with 3:19 left in the half.

Four minutes into the second period, Ashley Neustifter found Kendell Truttman on a back-cut for an easy lay-in that put UW-Oshkosh up, 36-34.

Heidi Van Sistine came back with a lay-up and jumper to tie it at 40. St. Norbert then went on top with Stephanie Weigman's three-pointer at the 11:53 mark.

Morgan Kokta had a string of big plays midway through the half. She hit a jumper while getting fouled and finished the three-point play. Kokta then grabbed an offensive rebound and passed to Schmidt with 8:21 left. Schmidt kicked it out to Novak, who drained a three-pointer for the 48-45 lead.

With 3:52 to go, Heim counted a lay-up to make it a 52-52 ballgame. UW-Oshkosh tallied its final six points at the charity stripe, finishing the second half with 9-for-9 accuracy.

Schmidt led the Titans with 11 points and three assists, while Stecker posted eight points and eight rebounds. Kuehl added eight points and four boards for UW-Oshkosh, which shot 42 percent (18-43) from the field, 25 percent (3-12) from deep and 83 percent at the foul line (19-23).

St. Norbert totaled 46 percent (24-52) overall shooting, along with 36 percent success (5-14) beyond the arc and 60 percent efficiency on free throws (3-5).

Heim paced the Green Knights with 15 points and four assists. Van Sistine totaled 10 points, while Byrne marked eight points and Lauren Carman three steals.

UW-Oshkosh has another game in Kolf Sports Center on Wednesday (Dec. 18) against Marian University.

By Jon Feyen, UW-Oshkosh Sports Information