MCMINNVILLE, Ore. --- Linfield women's basketball (4-2, 1-0 NWC) took on No. 3-ranked Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Friday evening, falling short against the Titans, 57-32, in a defensive battle.
 
Oshkosh opened the game with a lay-in on their first possession, while Amelia Solt answered shortly after with a deep three to give Linfield a 3-2 lead. The Titans answered with a jumper before Burke kept her strong shooting from last week's game at Pacific, sinking a three to put the 'Cats up 6-4; their largest and final lead of the game.
 
The first quarter saw a pair of ties down the stretch, with Oshkosh sinking a pair of free throws in the final minute to take a 10-8 lead after ten minutes. In a defensive battle, both offensive struggled to score in the second, although the Titans gathered an 8-0 lead in the first eight minutes of the second quarter, taking an 18-10 lead. Tana Hoekema scored the 'Cats lone bucket on the ensuing possession, although Oshkosh took a commanding 22-10 lead into the break.
 
Miki Vermeulen ended the scoring drought on Linfield's first possession of the final half, sinking a three to make it a nine-point deficit. Both offenses woke up, trading buckets over the next five possessions, but an 8-0 run over 90-seconds put Oshkosh up 36-19 halfway through the quarter. Amelia Solt and Lauren Buchanan stopped the bleeding with a pair of threes, while Vermeulen and Allie Mead combined for a 5-0 run to close the quarter down 12.
 
Similar to the second quarter, Oshkosh held Linfield scoreless for the first 7:18 of the fourth, while the Titans extended their lead with a 12-0 run. Burke and Skylar Willey each made one free throw in the fourth, as the nationally-ranked Titans took a 57-32 win inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium. It was the lowest offensive output for both teams this season. 
 
Vermeulen, Burke, and Solt all lead the way with six points each in the 'Cats fewest offensive output this season. Vermeulen also tallied six rebounds, while Mead dealt three assists, and Burke has a pair of blocks. Linfield shot just 23% from the field and 26% from beyond the arc in the game. 
 
The Wildcats host Simpson (California) next Friday inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium, with hopes of getting the offense back on track. 
 
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