By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
Stevens Point, Wis. — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s basketball team opened the 2023-24 campaign with a gritty 65-62 win over Concordia-Moorhead in their first game of the Tip-Off Classic hosted by UW-Stevens Point Friday. The No. 9 Warhawks return to action Saturday in Stevens Point against St. Norbert College at 1 p.m.
Senior forward Aleah Grundahl (DeForest, Wis./DeForest) got UW-Whitewater off to a great start hitting seven of her first eight shots to post 14 points in the first quarter. The Cobbers narrowed the gap by outscoring the Warhawks each of the next two quarters to bring the score to 44-43 in favor of UWW heading into the fourth.
By the fourth, fouls became a big issue for both teams. In the final period of play, the squads sent a player to the line a total of 20 times with 17 of the 40 points in the quarter coming from the charity stripe.
The teams traded buckets through the first half of the final quarter until UWW went on an 8-0 run to take a 60-55 lead with 3:17 remaining. Concordia whittled the lead away by way of the free throw line and tied the game at 62 with 25 seconds left. The Warhawks ran 18 seconds off the clock until the Cobbers fouled. Kacie Carollo (Whitewater, Wis./Whitewater) knocked down both from the charity stripe with seven seconds left.
Concordia called timeout and advanced the ball to center court. Their final possession ended in a charge call with two seconds left. One final trip to the line for Grundahl gave the Warhawks the final, 65-62.
Fouls were a big part of the game with 25 whistles on UWW and 20 on Concordia. The Warhawks hit 14-17 from the line while the Cobbers were 19-23. UW-Whitewater held a hefty advantage in points in the paint, 36-26.
Grundahl led all players with 21 points on 9-13 from the floor. She added three rebounds and four steals. Carollo ended with 15, bolstered by a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe adding seven assists and four steals in the contest. Katie Hildebrandt (McFarland, Wis./McFarland) wrapped up the double-digit scorers with 14 on 4-7 from the field, 2-3 from beyond the arc and 4-4 from the free throw line. Mallory Oloffson (Normal, Ill./Normal Community) led UWW under the rim with six boards.
