The UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team is moving on to the Sweet 16 after wins against Principia and UW-La Crosse. The team hosted the First and Second Rounds as they used the home crowd’s energy to their advantage to advance in the NCAA Tournament.
UW-Whitewater soars past Principia
The Warhawks started their NCAA Tournament run by beating Principia 75-53. The Warhawks wasted no time as they jumped out to a 24-6 lead after the first quarter, and led at halftime 49-17. The two teams would trade baskets in the third quarter but UW-Whitewater led 62-35 after three. The fourth quarter was much of the same as the Warhawks would win 75-53 and move on to the second round.
Maggie Trautsch and Mallory Oloffson led the Warhawks in scoring with each having 16 points. Renee Rittmeyer contributed well for Whitewater scoring 11 points off the bench. The MVP of the night was Katie Hildebrandt who recorded a double-double by scoring 15 points and 15 rebounds.
“You got to do the job to the best of your ability,” Hildebrandt said. “My teammates boxed out so I was able to get the boards. I was standing around the rim the whole game, so that helped a little bit, but I got to just go get it and offense starts with defense. So getting those boards and getting quick outlets helps right away.”
Before the Warhawks downed Principia, La Crosse took down Colorado College 79-52, setting up a third meeting between the Eagles and the Warhawks.
Whitewater wins gritty battle against La Crosse
The Warhawks advance to the Sweet 16 after a nail-biting 50-49 victory over La Crosse Saturday night. The game was back and forth the whole night as it was tied at 14 after the first quarter, and tied at 20 at halftime. La Crosse led 37-36 after the third quarter. The fourth quarter carried on the back and forth scoring as La Crosse held a 49-47 lead until with 33 seconds left Hildebrandt made a layup to tie the game at 49. After an unsuccessful 3-pointer by La Crosse and a series of timeouts, Hildebrandt was fouled while shooting with two seconds to play. She made a go-ahead free throw to seal the win for the Warhawks, winning 50-49.
Hildebrandt led the Warhawks in scoring with 14 points. Kacie Carollo had a double-double putting up 13 points and 13 rebounds. Oloffson contributed as well, putting up 11 points.
“Just an amazing, hard fought battle between two really great teams,” head coach Keri Carollo said. “La Crosse had just a great last run of their season. So congrats to them. Super tough for us to be able to try to defend them off the bounce. And so I thought they did a really nice job attacking our post players and making them have to defend off the dribbles. So just kudos to them, but really proud of our team to figure out how to overcome some really difficult plays. You know, just back and forth and just being resilient, staying focused and staying calm and and just having that will to win.”
With their third victory over the Eagles, Whitewater advances to the Sweet 16 where they will take on another WIAC foe. This time it will be UW-Stout for the fourth time this year. Whitewater is 1-2 against Stout this season, with their lone win coming in the WIAC tournament. The Sweet 16 game will be played Friday, March 14 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, at 4:30 p.m. central time.
