2005-06 UW-Oshkosh Men's Basketball News

Titans Suffer Overtime Loss In WIAC Tournament Opener

UW-La Crosse scored seven of the first 10 points in overtime and hung on for a 70-67 victory over UW-Oshkosh in a quarterfinal round game of the WIAC Men's Basketball Tournament held Tuesday (Feb. 22) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-La Crosse (20-6) advances to face UW-Whitewater in a semifinal round matchup on Thursday (Feb. 24) in Whitewater. UW-Oshkosh concludes its season with a 17-9 record.

Both teams traded free throws to open the extra session before UW-La Crosse went up 64-62 on two free throws by Joe Werner. UW-Oshkosh's Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) tied the game with two free throws before Luke Homan gave the visitors another two-point lead at 66-64 on two more charity tosses.

The Eagles went up by 68-64 after a dunk by Werner coming off of a steal. Werner, however, was assessed his second technical foul of the game on the play, thus, eliminating him from the contest. Following the technical foul, Capelle drained two free throws to cut the Eagles' lead to 68-66.

Another free throw by Capelle closed the Titans' deficit to 68-67 with 1:24 left in overtime. From there UW-La Crosse missed two free throws and Capelle missed a three-point attempt. After a foul by the Titans, Joe Bemis canned one free throw to give the Eagles a 69-67 advantage.

Following an offensive foul on Capelle, the Titans fouled Bemis and he made one of two attempts from the charity stripe to give the Eagles a 70-67 lead. Jahnke's three-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed out, letting the Eagles escape with the victory. Other than the dunk by Werner, every point scored by both teams in overtime came from the free throw line, including all six points by UW-Oshkosh's Capelle.

The Eagles forced overtime when Marcus Conigliaro connected on three free throws with two seconds left in the game after being fouled on a three-point attempt. The Titans could not get a shot off at the end of regulation as the teams battled to a 61-61 deadlock after 40-minutes of play.

After holding a 33-28 lead at intermission, UW-La Crosse held its biggest lead of the game 36-28 when Conigliaro started the second half with a three-point bucket. Down again by eight points 38-30, UW-Oshkosh went on an eight point run to tie the game at 38-38. Knotted again at 42-42, UW-Oshkosh stormed ahead 53-46 on a 11-3 scoring streak with 8:37 left to play.

UW-La Crosse's Chris Ask answered with a three-point basket that ignited a 10-0 run that gave the Eagles a 56-53 advantage with 4:58 left on the clock. With UW-La Crosse ahead 58-57 at the 3:20 mark, neither teams scored for 2:07 until Capelle put UW-Oshkosh up 59-58 on a lay-up. After a turnover by UW-La Crosse, Capelle canned two free throw giving the hosts a 61-58 advantage with 30 ticks left on the clock before Conigliaro's heroics put the game into overtime.

Similar to the second half, Conigliaro started the first stanza with a three-point bucket to start the game. UW-Oshkosh would go up 7-5 before two free throws by the Eagles' Timothy Owens tied the score at 7-7. From there UW-La Crosse would lead for the last 12:52 of the first half, with its biggest lead being 29-22 with 3:12 left on the clock.

Capelle led all scorers with 27 points. He set a pair of WIAC Tournament records by making 19 free throws in 23 attempts Capelle added a team-best seven rebounds. Jahnke chipped in 13 points, Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson) nine points and six blocked shots and Nathan Wesener (Jr. • Hilbert) seven points and six rebounds.

Conigliaro led the Eagles with 20 points, including five three-point baskets. Werner added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Bemis came off the bench to score 14 points.

UW-Oshkosh finished the night shooting 36.6 percent (19-52) from the floor, 23.1 percent (3-13) behind the three-point line and 83.9 percent (26-31) from the free throw line. UW-La Crosse shot 42.6 percent (23-54) from the field, 40 percent (8-20) from beyond the three-point arc and 69.6 percent (16-23) from the free throw line.

Titans Hold Off Pioneers In Regular Season Finale

The UW-Oshkosh (17-8/10-6 WIAC) men's basketball team closed its regular season with an 80-66 victory over UW-Platteville (12-12/7-9 WIAC) on Saturday (Feb. 18) in Kolf Sports Center.

The win gives UW-Oshkosh a tie for fourth-place in the WIAC standings with UW-La Crosse. The Titans will host the Eagles on Tuesday (Feb. 21) in a first round game of the WIAC Tournament.

After being held to just 49 points in Wednesday's (Feb. 15) loss to UW-Whitewater, the UW-Oshkosh offense looked sharp against the Pioneers.

“I told the fellas if we could get to the line 30-some (times), we’re not going to lose another game,” UW-Oshkosh head coach Ted Van Dellen said. “We just kept going inside and getting dribble penetration to get to the line.”

“A lot of our focus has been trying to get back to the NCAA tournament,” Van Dellen said. “We need to win next Saturday (Feb. 25) to make that happen.”

UW-Oshkosh bullied its way to the line and sunk key free throws to when it really mattered. With the Titans holding onto a 48-41 lead, Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) sunk both foul shots to give the Titans a nine-point lead with 9:14 remaining. UW-Platteville cut the lead back to seven on two free throws by Josh Langenfeld, but Capelle answered with a 3-pointer.

UW-Oshkosh's Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson), who struggled to score inside in the first half, converted a three-point play after receiving a lob pass from Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc). A layup by Nathan Wesener (Jr. • Hilbert) pushed UW-Oshkosh’s lead to 66-53 with about four minutes left. UW-Platteville hung around in the final minutes, but it was too little too late.

“I thought Jahnke and Capelle had a very aggressive offensively, they were hunting for their shots,” UW-Platteville coach head Paul Combs said. “And their role players like Jordan Johnson (So. • Waupaca), Pete Warning (Sr. • Shiocton) and Wesener played very well and gave them a spurt off the bench.”

Despite having five turnovers, Jahnke made tough shots for the Titans and finished with 18 points. Capelle ended his night with 13 points and Gibson provided 13 along with three blocks.

Jeff Skemp led the Pioneers with 18 points and LeVon Crawford chipped in 17.

Warhawks Eliminate Titans From WIAC Race

The UW-Oshkosh (16-8/9-6 WIAC) men's basketball team could not overcome 21 turnovers and a season low 27.5 field goal percentage as it lost a 59-49 decision to UW-Whitewater (18-5/12-3 WIAC) on Wednesday (Feb. 15) in Kolf Sports Center.

With the victory the Warhawks, ranked 24th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, claimed at least a share of the WIAC title. UW-Whitewater can secure the outright crown with a win over UW-Eau Claire or a loss by UW-Stout on Saturday.

The Warhawks, who claimed only their fifth win against the Titans in the last 13 games, started the contest with a quick 5-0 outburst to take the largest lead of either team in the first half. The score remained tight throughout the first stanza with the score being tied five times.

Neither team mustered much of an offense in the first period as both teams combined to shot a paltry 34 percent (16-47) from the floor. Nathan Wesener (Jr. • Hilbert) did give the Titans a 25-24 advantage at the break with two made shots in the last 29 seconds on the clock, the last coming off of an assist by Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) with two seconds remaining.

UW-Whitewater stormed out of the gate in the second half with a 16-2 run in the first 6:41 to take a 13-point lead at 40-27. UW-Oshkosh responded with an eight point skein to close to within 40-35 and cut the lead to four twice at 50-46 and 52-48. The last four point deficit came with 55 ticks left on the clock.

With UW-Oshkosh forced to foul, UW-Whitewater's Giovanni Riley hit five consecutive free throws to put the Warhawks up by nine at 57-48 with 28 seconds left in the game. After a made free throw by the Titans Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson), the Warhawks finished out the scoring with two free throws by Mike Toellner.

Gibson and Wesener finished with a game-high 13 points each followed by Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) with 11 points for UW-Oshkosh. Gibson was one rebound and one blocked shot away from a triple double as he hauled in nine rebounds and swatted nine shots. Capelle and Wesener each grabbed eight rebounds.

Melvin Williams scored 11 points to lead UW-Whitewater. The Warhawks also received nine points from Mike Toellner. Jeremy Manchester finished with five assists and five rebounds.

In addition to its 27.5 percent (20-57) field goal shooting, UW-Oshkosh also shot 11.1 percent (1-9) behind the three-point line and 66.7 percent (20-30) from the free throw stripe.

UW-Whitewater finished the contest shooting 35.1 percent (20-57) from the field, 20 percent (3-15) behind three-point line and 80 percent (16-20) from the charity stripe.

UW-Oshkosh held a 45-36 advantage in rebounds. The Titans' bench was also outscored 20-5.

Titans Roll Past Blugolds

After losing three games in a row, a win like this was exactly what the UW-Oshkosh men’s basketball team needed.

UW-Oshkosh cruised past the UW-Eau Claire, 81-63, on Saturday (Feb. 11) in Kolf Sports Center. The Titans improved to 16-7 and 9-5 in the WIAC. The Blugolds dropped to 11-12, 3-11.

The Titans controlled the tempo of the game from the opening tip-off. UW-Oshkosh reeled off a 7-0 run and built a 14-4 lead after an Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) jumper with 14:23 left in the first half. Jahnke looked comfortable from beyond the arc, draining three long 3-pointers in the first half.

“Nobody can defend at 30 feet,” UW-Eau Claire coach Terry Gibbons said, referring to Jahnke’s shooting. “When he’s on, he’s on. I think that took us out of the game. Maybe without that we’re not down by 14 points going into the half.”

A jumper by forward Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) pushed UW-Oshkosh’s lead to 29-14 with 3:48 left in the first half and the Titans went into half time with a 35-19 lead.

“More than anything, we needed some confidence on the offensive end,” Titans head coach Ted Van Dellen said. “If we would have scored 70 points in the last three ball games we win. We needed to have the ball go in the hole for us to start feeling more confidence on the offensive end.”

UW-Oshkosh’s hot shooting continued in the second half. The Titans went on a 19-4 scoring run and built an insurmountable 54-23 lead with 14:29 remaining. UW-Oshkosh hit 11 of its first 14 shots of the second half, shooting nearly 80 percent from the floor.

The Titans would finish the game shooting a remarkable 63 percent on field goal attempts.

UW-Eau Claire showed some signs of life by quickly chopping down UW-Oshkosh’s lead to 68-55 on a layup by guard Zach Ryan. But Capelle scored six straight points in the final three minutes to put the Blugolds away for good.

Both Capelle and Jahnke said they were pleased the Titans could finally put together a good all-around game. UW-Oshkosh’s 81 points are the highest point total the team has had this season.

“The important thing is to get things down now, before the start of the WIAC tournament, because if we lose there we won’t have another chance,” Jahnke said. “It felt really good. Guys were all looking for their shot. I think we’ll be good offensively.”

Before the Titans can look forward to the post-season, they still have two tough conference games. Fortunately, UW-Oshkosh will end the regular season from the comfort of its own home.

“For most of the season it’s been a damn dogfight,” Van Dellen said. “UW-Whitewater is a very gifted, very athletic team and they’ll be looking for some revenge because we beat them down there.”

Blue Devils Oust Titans

If there is one men's basketball tam in the WIAC capable of matching up with UW-Oshkosh in the post it's UW-Stout.

The Blue Devils proved that point to the tune of an 80-61 victory over the Titans on Saturday (Feb. 4) in Menomonie.

Jacob Nonemacher, one of the three players listed at 7-foot on the Blue Devils roster, led the way with 23 points and 13 rebounds.

UW-Stout (17-4/10-3 WIAC) held UW-Oshkosh (15-7/9-4 WIAC) to 39.6 percent (21-53) shooting from the field and limited the effectiveness of the Titans Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson) in the paint.

Although double-teamed for most of the game, Gibson managed to scored 19 points and had seven rebounds but had trouble finding the open man as he only had one assist. Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) led the way for the Titans with 20 points, but was held to a 4-11 performance from beyond the arc.

Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) added nine points and five steals and Chad Doedens (Jr. • Cedarburg) had seven points. Ryan Stangl poured in 15 points, Adam Chandler added 12 points and Terry Farmer scored 10 points and hauled in seven rebounds for the Blue Devils. Chandler and Greg Chaisson added five assists each as UW-Stout held a 16-6 advantage in the category.

UW-Oshkosh finished the night shooting 21.1 percent (4-19) from beyond the arc and 71.4 percent (15-21) from the three-point line. UW-Stout shot 51.7 percent (30-58) from the floor, 40 percent (4-10) from the three-point line and 72.7 percent (16-22) from the free throw line.

UW-Stout outrebounded UW-Oshkosh 39-24 and had a 5-2 cushion in blocks. UW-Oshkosh won the turnover battle 9-15) and had a 9-6 advantage in steals.

J.J. Jumper To Visit Kolf Sports Center

J.J. Jumper, the official basketball mascot of the NCAA, will visit UW-Oshkosh's basketball doubleheader against UW-Eau Claire on Saturday (Feb. 11) in Kolf Sports Center.

J.J. Jumper's purpose is to increase enthusiasm and awareness of NCAA Basketball, while engaging and educating youth on healthy physical, emotional and educational values. J.J.'s mission is to represent both genders and all races.

J.J. Jumper is an attention-getting six-foot, five-inch green creature with orange hair, size 26 shoes and a big heart that motivates youth to do their best on and off the court. J.J. appears at men's and women's basketball games, giving away NCAA Basketball promotional items and performing skits during timeouts and/or halftime.

The 2005-06 basketball season is the sixth for J.J. Jumper. During the past five seasons, J.J. has made more than 300 visits at NCAA institutions, appearing at almost 600 basketball games. J.J. performs at regular season basketball games in all three NCAA divisions, conference tournaments and all NCAA basketball championships.

J.J. Jumper's appearance in Kolf Sports Center is also a part of the NCAA's Take A Kid To The Game Program. Kids, ages 12 and under, will receive FREE ADMISSION to the basketball doubleheader with the purchase of an adult ticket. Ticket prices for the doubleheader are $9 for adults, $6 for senior citizens and $4 for students (elementary through high school). UW-Oshkosh students will be admitted FREE with their university identification card.

UW-Oshkosh's basketball doubleheader against UW-Eau Claire begins at 3 p.m. with the women's game and concludes at 5 p.m. with the men's contest.

Eagles Make Up For Earlier Loss To Titans

The UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team dropped out of first place in the WIAC standings after falling 60-55 to UW-La Crosse on Wednesday (Feb. 1) in La Crosse.

UW-La Crosse improves to 17-4 overall and 8-4 in the WIAC, while UW-Oshkosh, ranked 24th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, falls to 15-6 overall and 8-4 in the league.

The Titans held a 53-50 lead with 3:50 remaining when the Eagles' Marcus Conigliaro hit his fifth three-pointer of the game to tie it at 53-53 with 3:36 left. Fehrenbach then gave UW-La Crosse a 56-53 lead with his first basket of the game. Chris Ask gave the Eagles a 58-53 lead with 33 seconds remaining as he hit a jumper with the shot clock running down.

Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson) came back for UW-Oshkosh to cut the lead to 58-55 with :23 left on a lay-up. The Titans were then forced to foul five times in the next five seconds to put the Eagles at the line. Ask missed the front end of the one-and-one to keep the score 58-55. The Titans' Chad Doedens (Jr. • Cedarburg) then missed a potential game-tying three-point shot with five seconds left and UW-Oshkosh was forced to foul Joe Werner who hit two free throws with four seconds remaining.

The game was tied five times in the first half with UW-Oshkosh holding the biggest lead at 31-27 with seconds left. The Titans led 31-28 at halftime.

Conigliaro led UW-La Crosse with 17 points, hitting five-of-seven three-point field goals. Werner finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

UW-L shot 45.3 percent (24-53) from the field, including 43.8 (7-16) from three-point range. The Eagles were five-of-nine (55.6 percent) at the free throw line.

Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) led UW-Oshkosh with 23 points, including 15 in the second half. He also had seven rebounds. Gibson finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and five blocks.

UW-Oshkosh shot 41.5 percent (22-53) from the field, including just 12.5 (2-16) from three-point range. The Titans shot 56.5 percent (13-23) from the field in the first half and 30 percent (9-30) in the second. UW-Oshkosh hit all nine of its free throw attempts in the game.

Falcons Edge Titans As Time Expires

Mark James' short jump shot off a rebound as time expired put an end to a fierce UW-Oshkosh comeback and lifted the UW-River Falls men's basketball team to a 58-56 victory over the Titans on Saturday (Jan. 28) in River Falls.

UW-Oshkosh (15-5/8-3 WIAC), which also lost to UW-Stout on a basket as time expired on Dec. 10, trailed 40-29 to UW-River Falls (5-14/4-7 WIAC) with 17:15 left in the contest before rallying to take a 56-50 advantage with 3:36 to play. Unfortunately, UW-Oshkosh's 56th point on a basket by Chad Doedens (Jr. • Cedarburg) would be the last that the Titans would score the rest of the game.

UW-River Falls ended the contest with eight straight points, cutting its deficit to 56-52 on a basket by Ryan Zylstra with 3:18 remaining in the game and 56-54 on a basket by Ryan Thompson with 2:35 to play. Following three missed shots by the Titans and one by the Falcons, UW-River Falls tied the game at 56-56 on Hans Hoeg's two free throws with six seconds left in the contest.

The game's final six seconds had plenty of activity as UW-River Falls' Tim Pearson stole UW-Oshkosh's inbound pass near midcourt and then threw the basketball to teammate Ryan Thompson who launched a three-point shot that misfired and was collected and put back in the basket by James as time expired. Jame's game-winning shot represented his only two points of the game.

In the first half, UW-River Falls and UW-Oshkosh exchanged baskets for the first 13 minutes, with the Falcons holding their largest lead of four twice. With 6:30 left in the opening period, Hoeg scored on a back door cut to give UW-River Falls a 17-16 lead, starting an eventual 16-2 scoring run that would give the Falcons a 31-18 advantage with 1:58 remaining in the half. The stanza ended with the Falcons holding a 33-22 lead.

Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) led UW-Oshkosh in scoring with 22 points, including 18 in the second half on six three-point baskets. The Titans also received nine points from Doedens and eight from Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells). UW-Oshkosh's Nathan Wesener (Jr. • Hilbert) collected 10 rebounds to tie a career best, while Doedens dished off six assists.

Hoeg scored 21 points to lead UW-River Falls, while Zylstra added 13 and Thompson nine. Thompson also contributed five assists, three rebounds and one steal for the Falcons.

UW-Oshkosh shot just 39.3 percent (24-61) from the field, including 33.3 (8-24) behind the three-point line. The Titans, who shot 211 free throws in their previous nine games, did not attempt a free throw against the Falcons. It was only the second time in 449 games that UW-Oshkosh attempted less than five free throws in a contest.

UW-River Falls shot 50 percent (24-48) from the field to become the first opponent to shoot 50 percent or better against UW-Oshkosh in 14 games. The Falcons also shot 50 percent (7-14) behind the three-point line and 75 percent (3-4) from the free throw stripe.

UW-Oshkosh, which entered the contest ranked 21st in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, had its nine-game winning streak snapped with its loss to the Falcons. UW-Oshkosh's previous loss was a 65-57 setback to 13th-ranked Wartburg College (Iowa) on Dec. 22.

Titans Take Over WIAC Lead

Head coach Ted Van Dellen has been waiting all season for the three leaders of his UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team to put it all together in the same game.

Thanks to Andy Jahnke's (Sr. • Manitowoc) long-range shooting, Jim Capelle's (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) all-around play and Kerry Gibson's (Jr. • Jefferson) menacing presence in the paint, Van Dellen finally got his wish as UW-Oshkosh defeated UW-Stevens Point, 74-62, on Wednesday (Jan. 25) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (15-4/8-2 WIAC), ranked 21st in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, took over sole possession of first place in the WIAC standings with the victory. The Titans own a half-game lead over UW-Whitewater (12-4/7-2 WIAC) in the WIAC rankings and a full-game advantage over both UW-Stevens Point (12-6/7-3 WIAC) and UW-Stout (14-4/7-3 WIAC).

UW-Oshkosh made nine of its first 12 shots to build a 22-10 lead eight minutes into the game and UW-Stevens Point came no closer than seven points (22-15) the rest of the way.

Jahnke led the early shooting success by the Titans by hitting four four of five three-point shots during the first seven minutes of play and scoring 12 of his team's first 20 points. UW-Oshkosh shot 56 percent (14-25) from the field in the opening period and held UW-Stevens Point to 31 percent (9-29) shooting from the field in building a 36-24 halftime advantage.

UW-Stevens Point, which had won five of its previous six meetings with UW-Oshkosh, scored four of the first five points of the second half to cut its deficit to 37-28. The Titans then rattled off nine straight points, including a dunk by Gibson, to take a 46-28 lead with 17:04 to play. UW-Oshkosh, which shot 66.7 percent (12-18) from the field in the second half, maintained an advantage of 10 or more points the rest of the game to oust the two-time defending NCAA Division III champion Pointers.

Jahnke scored a game-high 24 points to lead UW-Oshkosh to its ninth straight win. Jahnke made seven of 16 shots from the field, including five of 10 attempts behind the three-point line, and five of six shots from the free throw line. He also dished off six assists and grabbed three rebounds.

The Titans also received 21 points, six blocked shots and six rebounds from Gibson and 15 points, a game-high eight rebounds and two assists from Capelle. Gibson drained nine of his 12 shots from the field, including four dunks, and three of his five shots from the free throw line. Capelle, who scored his 1,000 career point in the first half, made four of his six shots from the field, including two of three attempts behind the three-point line, and five of his seven tosses from the free throw stripe.

Jon Krull scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead UW-Stevens Point, while Pete Rortvedt added 15 points and five rebounds. The Pointers also received 10 points from both Brian Bauer and Steve Hicklin.

UW-Oshkosh finished the game shooting a season-best 60.5 percent (26-43) from the field, including 53.3 percent (8-15) behind the three-point line. The Titans made 14 of their 20 free throw attempts (70 percent) while committing just 10 turnovers and posting a 29-27 rebounding advantage.

UW-Stevens Point concluded the contest shooting a season-low 35.1 percent (20-57) from the field, including 31 percent (9-29) beyond the three-point arc. The Pointers made 13 of their 16 (81.3 percent) free throw shots while turning the basketball over 10 times.

Titans Too Much For Yellowjackets

The looks were there. Wide-open 3-pointers there for the taking.

The UW-Oshkosh basketball team just couldn't capitalize.

"It was odd," UW-Oshkosh's Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) said. "But it was nice we were getting points inside and at the free-throw line. That's been saving us the last couple of games."

Shooting 30 percent from the arc and 45 percent overall, the Titans routed UW-Superior, 76-55, on Saturday (Jan. 21) in Kolf Sports Center. It was the eighth straight win for the Titans.

"I keep saying it, I sound like a broken record, but as soon as our offense catches up," UW-Oshkosh head coach Ted Van Dellen said. "I'm not real worried about that offense because it's going to come sooner or later."

Realizing their perimeter shots weren't falling, the Titans exploited UW-Superior's ineffectiveness in the paint.

Whoever UW-Superior forward Leonard Cobb confronted on defense attacked the rim with positive results. Trailing 18-17, UW-Oshkosh (14-4/7-2 WIAC) went on an 11-3 run.

"(Cobb) had those two fouls midway through the first half and we were going at him the rest of the game," Capelle said. "We wanted to get him out of the game. He's a heck of a player."

Featuring the leading scorer and rebounder in the conference in Cobb, the Yellowjackets just weren't too sound on defense. While he led all scorers with 22 points, a more balanced effort by the Titans, with 18 points by Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc), Capelle with 17 and 13 from Chad Doedens (Jr. • Cedarburg), so many scoring options ate up UW-Superior's defense.

Miscommunication and a stingy UW-Oshkosh defense netted a 5-minute scoring drought by the Yellowjackets (4-13/0-9 WIAC).

Titans Knock Off Nationally-Ranked Warhawks

The UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team made nearly twice as many free throws as nationally-ranked UW-Whitewater attempted and the result was a 68-67 overtime victory for the Titans on Wednesday (Jan. 18) in Whitewater.

UW-Oshkosh (13-4/6-2 WIAC), which joined UW-Stevens Point (11-5/6-2 WIAC) and UW-Whitewater (11-4/6-2 WIAC) atop the WIAC standings following the victory, made 23 of its 26 free throw attempts against the Warhawks. UW-Oshkosh ended the game by sinking its last 15 free throws, including all four in overtime.

UW-Whitewater, which entered the game ranked 23rd in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, made 11 of its 13 free throw tries. The Warhawks did not go to the free throw line in overtime.

After being knotted 62-62 at the end of 40 minutes of play, UW-Oshkosh took the lead in overtime on two free throws by Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells). After a bucket by Whitewater's Jeremy Manchester evened the score at 64-64, Capelle missed a two-point shot before Mike Toellner gave the Warhawks a three-point advantage on a three point basket.

The Titans' Chad Doedens (Jr. • Cedarburg) closed the gap to 67-66 on a basket before UW-Oshkosh's Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson) blocked a shot. After a foul on Anthony Mlachnik, Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) canned two free throws to give the Titans a 68-67 lead with 53 seconds left.

UW-Whitewater's Melvin Williams then missed a three-point shot that was grabbed by Doedens. Capelle then committed a turnover with 16 seconds left before a missed shot by Mlachnik at the buzzer gave UW-Oshkosh the victory.

Jahnke led UW-Oshkosh in scoring with 19 points, while Gibson added 14, Capelle 12 and Doedens 10. Capelle also grabbed eight rebounds, while Doedens collected seven and Gibson six.

Manchester led UW-Whitewater in scoring with 15 points. The Warhawks also received 14 points from Rob Perry and 12 from Williams.

The game was close in its entirety as neither team had more than a seven-point lead. UW-Oshkosh's biggest advantage was 22-15 with 6:54 left and 26-19 with 5:23 remaining in the first half. The Titans took a 32-31 lead to intermission.

After the Titans took a 26-19 lead, the Warhawks went on a 30-16 scoring run to give itself a seven point cushion with 9:28 left in the game. Trailing 51-44 with seven minutes left, UW-Oshkosh went on a 11-4 run to even the game at 55-55 with 2:42 remaining.

Tied 57-57, Capelle was fouled on a three-point attempt and calmly sank all three tosses from the free throw line to give the Titans a 60-57 advantage with 1:38 remaining. After trading buckets and two free throws, UW-Whitewater's Williams canned a three-point basket with five seconds left to tie the score at 62-62. The extra session was created when UW-Oshkosh missed its last two shots of regulation.

UW-Oshkosh shot 37.7 percent (20-53) from the field and 27.8 percent (5-18) from beyond the three-point arc, while hitting 88.5 percent (23-26) from the charity stripe. UW-Whitewater hit 42.1 percent (24-57) from the floor, 40 percent (8-20) behind three-point line and 84.6 percent (11-13) from the free throw dash.

UW-Oshkosh held a 36-32 advantage in rebounds. UW-Whitewater had a 13-9 lead in assists and won the turnover battle, 13-10.

Titans Capture Falcons

Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) scored the last seven points of the contest as the UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team won a hard-fought 55-49 contest over UW-River Falls on Saturday (Jan. 14) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (12-4/5-2 WIAC) trailed 49-48 before Capelle put the Titans ahead to stay on a layup with 2:40 to play.

Following two errant shots by each team in the closing minutes, UW-River Falls' Eric Kossoris tipped in a missed shot by teammate Ryan Thompson with five seconds left to give the Falcons an apparent 51-50 lead. But, Kossoris was ruled by the officials as being over the back on the play and the basket was nullified. Capelle made two free throws due to the foul, and after a pair of UW-River Falls technical fouls, sank three more to give the Titans the six-point victory.

UW-River Falls (3-12/2-5) counted the first seven points of the second half to tie the game at 25-25 with 15:52 to play. Following an 8-2 scoring run that put UW-Oshkosh ahead 33-27, UW-River Falls bounced back to force a 33-33 tie with 11:23 left. The two teams went on to register six more tied scores, including 48-48 with 3:27 remaining.

The first half belonged to UW-Oshkosh as the Titans jumped out to an 8-1 lead after five minutes of play. UW-Oshkosh increased its lead to 20-9 at the 5:03 mark of the opening period before UW-River Falls rallied back to slice its deficit to 25-18 at intermission.

Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson) tallied his first double-double of the season as he scored 15 points and grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds. Gibson drained seven of his eight free throw attempts while recording three steals and blocking three shots. Capelle finished the game with 10 points, including nine in the last 4:08 of the contest.

Hans Hoeg led UW-River Falls in scoring with 15 points, while Ryan Zylstra added 10. The Falcons also received a team-best seven rebounds from Alex Maas.

Both teams struggled shooting the basketball from the field as UW-Oshkosh made only 15 of its 48 shots (31.3 percent) and UW-River Falls just 13 of its 42 attempts (31.0 percent). Behind the three-point line, UW-Oshkosh shot 20.0 percent (4-20) and UW-River Falls 6.7 (1-15). The two combatants excelled shooting the basketball at the free throw line as UW-Oshkosh made 21 of its 24 tosses (87.5 percent) and UW-River Falls 22 of its 28 attempts (78.6 percent).

UW-Oshkosh posted a 33-32 rebounding edge in a game that featured 38 turnovers and 46 fouls.

Titans Clip Eagles In WIAC Battle

The UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team rallied and then hung on for a 67-65 victory over UW-La Crosse on Wednesday (Jan. 11) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-La Crosse (12-3/3-3 WIAC) led 58-48 with 10:39 remaining in the game before UW-Oshkosh (11-4/4-2 WIAC) went on a 13-2 scoring run to take a 61-60 lead with 4:26 to play. UW-Oshkosh's 61-60 lead was its first advantage since holding a 14-13 lead a the 13:12 mark of the first half.

The Titans held a 67-62 advantage with 1:12 remaining before Marcus Conigliaro hit a three-pointer with 48 seconds left to cut the Eagles' deficit to 67-65. After UW-Oshkosh missed three-point field goal attempt, Conigliaro missed a potential game-winning three-pointer at the final buzzer.

UW-La Crosse scored the last six points to take a 37-30 lead at intermission. The Eagles led the final 12:59 of the opening period after taking a 15-14 lead. UW-La Crosse shot 55.6 percent (15-27) from the field in the first half and turned the basketball over just four times.

UW-Oshkosh had three double-figure scorers in the game as Jim Capelle (Jr • Wisconsin Dells) counted 18 points, Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) 15 and Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson) 12. Capelle also grabbed seven rebounds in the contest, while Gibson collected eight rebounds, blocked five shots and dished off four assists.

Joe Werner led UW-La Crosse with 15 points and six rebounds, while Conigliaro added 14 points and Chris Fehrenbach 13.

UW-Oshkosh, which has won 114 of its last 141 home games, concluded the contest shooting 41.8 percent (23-55) from the field. The Titans also shot 44.4 percent (8-18) behind the three-point line and 86.7 percent (13-15) from the free throw stripe.

UW-La Crosse, which had won its previous eight road games, finished the hardwood debate shooting 48.1 percent (26-54) from the field. The Eagles also shot 50 percent (6-12) behind the three-point arc and 100 percent (7-7) from the free throw line.

UW-Oshkosh won the rebounding battle, 30-27. Both teams had just seven turnovers.

Titans Capture Eagles In Non-Conference Tilt

The UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team had five double-figure scorers as it defeated Robert Morris College-Springfield (Ill.), 69-58, on Sunday (Jan. 8) in Kolf Sports Center.

Matt Miller (Fr. • Hudson), Kyle Johnson (Jr. • Milwaukee) and Pete Warning (Sr. • Shiocton) came off the bench to combine for 43 of UW-Oshkosh's 69 points. Miller led the Titans with a career-best 16 points, while Johnson added 15 and Warning 11. Miller and Johnson each drained four three-point shots for the Titans.

UW-Oshkosh (10-4) also received 11 points from both Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) and Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc).

Down 36-32 to its first-time opponent, UW-Oshkosh went on a 27-11 scoring run to take a 59-47 lead with 3:41 left in the game. Johnson sparked the Titans during their scoring spree by totaling 12 points, all on four three-point baskets. UW-Oshkosh's largest lead of the contest was a 69-56 count with five seconds to play.

UW-Oshkosh opened the game by jumping out to a 13-4 lead. Robert Morris College bounced back to tie the game at 20-20 with 7:47 left in the first half. The teams played to ties at 25-25 and 29-29 before Matt Wiseman gave the Eagles a 32-29 lead at intermission with a three-point basket at the buzzer.

UW-Oshkosh outrebounded Robert Morris College, 35-25. Nathan Wesener (Jr. • Hilbert), who also took three charges in the game, grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds to lead the Titans.

Corley Lee scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Robert Morris College (9-10) in both categories. Lee sank 11 of his 12 field goal attempts and his lone free throw try. The Eagles also received 11 points from Andy Moretto.

UW-Oshkosh, which has won seven of its last eight games, shot 40 percent (20-50) from the field and 65.4 percent (17-26) from the free throw line. The Titans made 12 of their 27 three-point shots for 44.4 percent accuracy.

Robert Morris College shot 47.2 percent (25-53) from the field and 60 percent (3-5) from the free throw line. The Eagles shot 26.3 percent (5-19) behind the three-point line.

Late Free Throw Barrage Helps Titans Defeat Blugolds

Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) made eight free throws in the final 139 seconds of the game as the UW-Oshkosh men’s basketball team pulled away to defeat UW-Eau Claire, 68-58, on Saturday (Jan. 7) in Eau Claire.

UW-Oshkosh (9-4/3-2 WIAC) led 32-26 at halftime and increased its advantage to 41-31 before the host Blugolds cut their deficit to 41-39 with 13:11 left to play. Sparked by a pair of three-point baskets by Matt Miller (Fr. • Hudson), UW-Oshkosh answered the UW-Eau Claire charge with an 8-0 scoring run to push its lead to 49-39 with 10:51 remaining.

UW-Eau Claire (8-5/1-4 WIAC) crawled back into the contest and sliced UW-Oshkosh’s advantage to 54-53 with 3:36 left. The Titans held off the Blugolds the rest of the way as Capelle sank eight free throws and Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) two in 11 combined attempts. UW-Oshkosh ended the game with a 14-5 scoring run to post its ninth victory over UW-Eau Claire in 10 meetings.

Behind three three-point baskets by Jahnke and a dunk by Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson), UW-Oshkosh jumped out to a 17-7 lead in the first seven minutes of play. UW-Oshkosh’s lead grew to 24-13 at the 9:53 mark of the opening period before UW-Eau Claire battled back with a 13-8 scoring run to cut its deficit to 32-26 at intermission.

UW-Oshkosh had three double-figure scorers in the game as Jahnke counted 19 points, Capelle 18 and Gibson 10. Gibson also grabbed nine rebounds and blocked two shots, while Capelle collected four rebounds and recorded two steals.

Jared Bardon led UW-Eau Claire in scoring with 16 points, while Dan Ottney and Zack Ryan tallied eight each. Matt Riley grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Blugolds.

UW-Oshkosh shot 42.9 percent (21-49) from the field and 87 percent (20-23) from the free throw line. The Titans, who committed just eight turnovers, shot 30 percent (6-20) behind the three-point line.

UW-Eau Claire shot 46.9 percent (23-49) from the field, including 56.5 (13-23) in the second half. The Blugolds also shot 55.6 percent (5-9) from the free throw stripe and 46.7 percent (7-15) behind the three-point line. UW-Eau Claire won the rebounding battle, 35-25.

Titans Grind Out Win Over Pioneers

The UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team struggled coming out of the gates, but picked it up with a late surge in the first half and a strong second half in its 54-50 win over UW-Platteville on Wednesday (Jan. 4) in Platteville.

"Defensively I think we did a heck of a job, offensively we struggled a bit," UW-Oshkosh head coach Ted Van Dellen said. "We might not be doing some good things on offense, but the leadership of Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) was a real plus for us."

Jahnke finished the game with 15 points, including three thee-point baskets. His shot from beyond the arc with 3:15 remaining put the Titans up 45-43 and UW-Oshkosh held the lead for good. For the game he shot 4-for-11 from the field, which was somewhat indicative of the Titans' struggles as they shot 36.6 percent (15-41) as a team through the contest.

Things were not looking pretty for UW-Oshkosh (8-4/2-2 WIAC) for most of the first half as the Titans scored only 13 points through the first 14 minutes of play. The Pioneers held their biggest lead at 26-13. But the Titans came roaring back and scored 22 of the next 24 points to take a 35-28 lead with 15:03 remaining in the second half.

UW-Platteville (6-6/1-3 WIAC) answered with an 8-0 run to overtake the lead 36-35. After that free-throw shooting kept UW-Oshkosh in it as Nathan Wesener (Jr. • Hilbert) hit one, Matt Miller (Fr. • Hudson) hit four and Jahnke hit two just before his deep shot which put the Titans up for good. Miller finished the contest with 13 points.

"It was one of those games where we didn't play real well offensively, we were just tough enough to win this one," Van Dellen said. "Earlier in the year, we didn't even come close to showing this kind of mental toughness, so it's a good sign for us."

LeVon Crawford and Charlie Lohoff each scored 10 points to lead UW-Platteville. The Pioneers shot 40 percent (20-50) from the field.

Both teams collected 25 rebounds and turned committed 25 turnovers.

Titans Close 2005 With Win Over Eagles

The UW-Oshkosh men’s basketball team celebrated the end of the 2005 calendar year by posting a 72-52 victory over Edgewood College on Saturday (Dec. 31) in Madison.

UW-Oshkosh (7-4), ranked 25th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, scored the first 12 points of the game and coasted to its 12th win over the Eagles in 13 meetings. The Titans took their early advantage on three three-point baskets by Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) and one by Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells).

Edgewood College (6-6) cut its deficit to 16-8 before UW-Oshkosh staged an 11-2 scoring run to take a 27-10 advantage with 7:34 left in the first half. The Titans took a 38-21 lead to intermission after exchanging points with the Eagles the rest of the opening period. UW-Oshkosh shot 59.1 percent (13-22) from the field in the first half, while Edgewood College shot just 29.2 (7-24).

Jahnke scored 22 points, including four three-point baskets, to lead UW-Oshkosh, while Pete Warning (Sr. • Shiocton) added 11 points and Matt Miller (Fr. • Hudson) 10. The Titans also benefited from the game-best eight rebounds of Capelle and the seven points, seven rebounds and seven blocked shots of Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson).

Charlie Averkamp, Seth Cooper, Chris DeMarco and John Fahey each tallied eight points to lead Edgewood College in scoring. Averkamp also collected a team-best seven rebounds.

UW-Oshkosh, which compiled a 39-27 rebounding advantage, shot 48.9 percent (22-45) from the field and 66.7 percent (18-27) from the free throw line. The Titans made 10 of their 22 three-point shots for 45.5 percent accuracy.

Edgewood College shot 33.3 percent (18-54) from the field and 64.7 percent (11-17) from the free throw line. The Eagles shot 35.7 percent (5-14) behind the three-point line.

Knights Hold Off Titans

A 14-6 scoring run in the final 4:30 of the game propelled Wartburg College (Iowa) to a 66-57 victory over UW-Oshkosh in a men's basketball game held Thursday (Dec. 22) in Las Vegas, Nev.

Wartburg College (8-1) won its seventh consecutive game following the victory. The Knights' Jason Steege drained back-to-back three-pointers to break a 51-51 tie to give Wartburg College the lead for good.

Steege finished the game with 16 points, three assists and three rebounds. Rance Cartmill scored 16 points, while Nate Schmidt finished with a double-double, counting 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) led UW-Oshkosh (6-4) with 12 points while Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) added 11 points, five rebounds and four assists. Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson) had a game-high 11 rebounds and eight points.

UW-Oshkosh finished the game shooting 36.5 percent (19-52) from the floor, 25 percent (5-20) from beyond the three-point arc and 73.7 percent (14-19) from the charity stripe. The Titans entered the game as the 25th-ranked team in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com.

Wartburg College shot 44.2 percent (23-52) percent for the field, 37 percent (10-27) behind the three-point line and 75 percent (9-12) from the free throw line.

Titans Trip Spartans In Las Vegas Opener

A 10-1 scoring run midway through the second half helped the UW-Oshkosh men’s basketball team earn a 75-63 victory over Aurora University (Ill.) on Wednesday (Dec. 21) in Las Vegas, Nev.

UW-Oshkosh (6-3) counted the first six points of second half and built a 44-33 lead before Aurora University (5-6) cut the Titans’ advantage to 54-50 with 13:52 to play. Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) then sank back-to-back three-point baskets to ignite a 10-1 scoring run that would give UW-Oshkosh a 64-51 lead with 5:03 remaining in the contest.

The Titans held off Aurora University the rest of the game by making 11 of their 16 free throw attempts, including four conversions by Chad Doedens (Jr. • Cedarburg) and three by Jahnke.

UW-Oshkosh opened the game with a 15-4 scoring run, including three three-point baskets by Jahnke. The Titans extended their lead to 22-10 before the Spartans scored 12 unanswered points to tie the game at 22-22 with 6:32 left in the opening period. UW-Oshkosh closed the first half with a 16-11 scoring run to take a 38-33 lead at intermission.

Jahnke led all scorers with 27 points, including seven three-point baskets. UW-Oshkosh’s scoring also featured the 11 points of Jim Capelle (Jr, • Wisconsin Dells), nine of Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson) and eight of Nathan Wesener (Jr. • Hilbert). The Titans posted a 45-37 rebounding advantage as Gibson grabbed 11 rebounds and Wesener eight.

Aurora University had two double-figure scorers as Larry Welton tallied 22 points and Dusty Magee 12. Welton also collected a team-best nine rebounds.

UW-Oshkosh, ranked 25th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, shot 43.1 percent (22-51) from the field and 70 percent (21-30) from the free throw line. The Titans made 10 of their 23 three-point shots (43.5 percent).

Aurora University, which appeared in NCAA Division III postseason play a year ago, shot just 32.8 percent (22-67) from the field. The Spartans also shot 40.7 percent (11-27) behind the three-point line and 66.7 percent (8-12) from the charity stripe.

Titans Romp Past Fightin' Indians

In the first meeting between the two schools, UW-Oshkosh controlled the tempo of the game and went on to beat Haskell Indian Nations University (Kan.), 76-55, in a men's basketball game held Sunday (Dec. 18) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (5-3) was sparked by Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) in the second half as he scored 15 points in the final 20 minutes of play. He finished with 17 points on 7 of 14 shooting, including three three-point baskets. Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson) added 18 points and six rebounds in only 21 minutes of action.

Pete Warning (Sr. • Shiocton) tallied 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots while Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) added eight points, four rebounds and three assists.

Leading 35-22 at the end of the first half, the Titans never led by less than 17 points in the final 17 minutes of the game as Jahnke scored 12 of UW-Oshkosh's first 17 points of the second half. Jahnke's 12th point during the run gave UW-Oshkosh a 52-32 lead with 14:16 remaining in the contest.

Haskell Indian Nations University (2-10) was led by Lonnie Favel's 13 points. The Fightin' Indians also received nine points and three rebounds from Wacy Weeks.

UW-Oshkosh, which entered the game ranked 25th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, shot 39.2 percent (20-51) from the field, 37.5 percent (6-16) from the three-point line and 88.2 percent (30-34) from the free throw line.

Haskell Indian Nations University shot 35.7 percent (20-56) from the floor, 34.8 percent (8-23) from beyond the three-point arc and 87.5 percent (7-8) from the charity stripe.

The Titans outrebounded the Fightin' Indians, 42-28. Haskell Indian Nations University was called for 27 fouls and the result was 24 extra free throw attempts for UW-Oshkosh.

Jahnke's Three-Pointer At Buzzer Lifts Titans Past Pioneers

Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) made a three-point shot with .9 seconds left to give the UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team a thrilling 70-69 victory over previously unbeaten Carroll College on Saturday (Dec. 17) in Waukesha.

UW-Oshkosh (4-3) scored five points in the final 18 seconds for the victory.

Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson) scored 23 points and had nine rebounds for the Titans. Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) added 17 and Jahnke, who had missed his first five three-point shots before making the game-winner, 11.

Carroll College (6-1) led by as many as seven points in the second half and led 69-65 when Nate Drury made a pair of free throws with 18 seconds left. The Titans' Kyle Johnson (Jr. • Milwaukee) scored on a layup with 13 seconds left and then Jahnke sent Drury to the free throw line again.

Drury, who had a game-high 33 points missed the front end of the bonus after making 10 consecutive attempts from the charity stripe. UW-Oshkosh did not call timeout on the last play as Chad Doedens (Jr. • Cedarburg) found Jahnke at the top of the key off of a screen by Gibson to give the Titans the victory.

Carroll College built a 10-point lead in the first half, but the Titans kept battling back. Gibson, who had a game-high nine rebounds and six blocks, ended the first half and began the second stanza with dunks. The Pioneers regained the lead with a three-pointer by Buck Colomy with 19:24 left and did not trail until the last shot.

UW-Oshkosh finished the game shooting 50 percent (28-56) from the floor, 20 percent (4-20) from the three-point line and 58.8 percent (10-17) from the free throw line. Carroll College hit 40.7 percent (22-54) from the field, 38.5 percent (10-26) from beyond the three-point arc and 88.2 percent (15-17) from the charity stripe.

UW-Oshkosh outrebounded Carroll College, 33-26 and had advantages in assists (15-12), blocked shots (6-2) and steals (4-2). The Titans had one more turnover than the Pioneers (10-9).

Titans Lose To Blue Devils At Buzzer

Adam Chandler's three-point basket with no time remaining lifted the UW-Stout men's basketball team to a 58-55 victory over UW-Oshkosh on Saturday (Dec. 10) in Kolf Sports Center. The contest matched two of the top teams in the country as UW-Oshkosh entered game ranked 14th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com and UW-Stout 22nd.

Chandler, who was held to just five points in the first 39 minutes of play, scored his game-winning basket after UW-Oshkosh's Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) tied the game at 55-55 on an NBA-range three-point shot with 19 seconds to play. Chandler also hit a pair of free throws with 29 seconds to go to give the Blue Devils a 55-52 lead.

UW-Stout (7-1/4-0 WIAC) trailed 29-24 at halftime. The Blue Devils then fell behind 32-26 at the start of the second half before rattling off 12 straight points to take a 38-32 lead with 11:15 to play. UW-Stout stayed in front of UW-Oshkosh (3-3/1-2 WIAC) until Capelle's three-point basket in the closing seconds forced the 55-55 tie. Capelle's game-tying trifecta helped the Titans rally from a 49-40 deficit with 6:23 left in the contest.

UW-Oshkosh led most of the first half and took a five-point advantage to intermission after going on an 8-0 scoring run in the last 4:28 of the period. The Titans' scoring spree featured five points from Capelle, including a three-point basket that tied the game at 24-24.

Capelle, who was making his 60th consecutive start, led UW-Oshkosh in scoring with 18 points. He also collected three rebounds and recorded three steals. The Titans also received 14 points, four rebounds and four blocked shots from Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson), 10 points and five rebounds from Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) and nine points, two rebounds and two steals from Nathan Wesener (Jr. • Hilbert).

Terry Farmer, who made his first five shots from the field, led UW-Stout in scoring with 22 points. Farmer entered the game with only 16 points in his previous four contests. The Blue Devils also benefited from the 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots of Jacob Nonemacher and 10 points and five assists of Chandler.

UW-Oshkosh concluded the game shooting 43.2 percent (19-44) from the field. The Titans shot just 26.7 percent (4-15) behind the three-point line and only 56.5 percent (13-23) from the free throw stripe. UW-Oshkosh turned the basketball over just 10 times in the game, but was outrebounded, 29-21.

UW-Stout shot 51.2 percent (22-43) from the field and made all 11 of their free throw attempts. The Blue Devils shot 30 percent (3-10) behind the three-point line.

Titans Eke Out Win Over Green Knights

In a defensive war from start to finish, the UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team outlasted St. Norbert College, 57-52, in a non-conference matchup between Fox River Valley rivals on Wednesday (Dec. 7) in De Pere.

UW-Oshkosh (3-2), ranked 14th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, led 46-44 with 5:54 left before going on a 6-0 run over the next 2:20 to take a 52-44 lead with 3:34 left. The Green Knights were within 52-46 with 2:30 left, but a 3-pointer by UW-Oshkosh's Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) proved to be the dagger. St. Norbert College would get no closer than the final score the rest of the way.

St. Norbert College (1-4) shot just 31.7 percent from the field, making just 19 of 60 field goal attempts. The Green Knights were able to stay in the game thanks to forcing 16 UW-Oshkosh turnovers, and winning the rebounding battle against the much-taller Titans by a 35-32 count. St. Norbert College also had 17 offensive rebounds to UW-Oshkosh's seven.

UW-Oshkosh took an 8-0 lead out of the gate before St. Norbert College went on an 8-0 run of its own to tie it at 10-10. The rest of the first half was nip-and-tuck, with no team holding larger than a four-point lead. Andy Jahnke's (Sr. • Manitowoc) 3-pointer with four seconds left in the first half put UW-Oshkosh up 26-23 at intermission.

St. Norbert College received a yeoman's effort from Eric Bieniasz. Bieniasz had 18 points and nine rebounds, and made all four of his 3-point attempts on a 7-for-13 night from the floor. Ryan Finneke added nine points for St. Norbert College, making three trifectas.

UW-Oshkosh, which shot 51.2 percent from the floor by making 21 of 41 shots, was led by Jahnke's 17 points - with 14 coming in the first half. Capelle added 11 points while Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson) notched 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks.

The victory moved UW-Oshkosh head coach into sixth place on the WIAC all-time wins list. Van Dellen is in his 16th season with the Titans and has amassed a 264-143 career coaching record (.649 winning percentage).

Titans Take Out Yellowjackets

The UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team jumped out to a 27-12 lead and held on to defeat UW-Superior, 65-55, on Saturday (Dec. 3) in Superior.

Tied 12-12, UW-Oshkosh scored 15 straight points, including six by Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson), to take a 27-12 advantage with 5:40 left in the first half. The Titans went to intermission leading 29-20.

UW-Oshkosh (2-2/1-1 WIAC) increased its lead to 17 points twice in the second half, counts of 37-20 with 15:40 left in the game and 55-38 with 5:57 remaining in the contest. The closest UW-Superior (3-2/0-2 WIAC) got to the Titans was a 60-52 count with 1:08 left in the game.

Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) led UW-Oshkosh in scoring with 25 points. Capelle made seven of his 12 shots from the field and nine of his 10 tosses from the free throw line. Capelle sank two of his three shots behind the three-point line.

UW-Oshkosh also received 16 points and five rebounds from Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) and 10 points and six rebounds from Gibson.

UW-Superior was led by Leonard Cobb's 20 points and nine rebounds. The Yellowjackets also received 10 points and two rebounds from Tyler Hildebrandt and eight points and seven rebounds from Brandon Ely.

UW-Oshkosh shot just 38.5 percent (20-52) from the field. The Titans also shot 36.4 percent (8-22) behind the three-point line and 81 percent (17-21) from the free throw stripe. UW-Oshkosh turned the basketball over just four times in the contest.

UW-Superior (3-2/0-2 WIAC) shot 37.7 percent (20-53) from the field, including 53.3 (8-15) behind three-point line. The Yellowjackets shot 77.8 percent (7-9) from the free throw stripe. UW-Superior had 14 turnovers in the game and posted a 39-28 rebounding advantage.

Titans Drop WIAC Opener To Pointers

Even a 36-minute fire alarm delay didn't slow the UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team on Wednesday (Nov. 30) as the Pointers built an early lead and defeated UW-Oshkosh, 74-61, in the teams' WIAC opener in Stevens Point.

The Titans had four turnovers and made just one of five shots in the first seven minutes as UW-Stevens Point jumped out to an 11-4 lead.

Minutes later, the Pointers used a 7-0 spurt capped by a three-pointer by Pete Rortvedt to lead 21-9 when fire alarms began sounding in the fieldhouse with 8:06 left in the first half. The athletes and fans were sent outside for about 20 minutes while firefighters resolved a small electrical fire in a classroom in another part of the building.

When play resumed, the Pointers continued right where they left off, holding UW-Oshkosh without a field goal until Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) scored with 3:39 left in the half to cut the lead to 27-14. In total, the Titans went a span of 8:11 without a field goal before making four of their last five shots of the first half.

UW-Stevens Point led 37-21 at halftime and the Titans made their best spurt of the game when they scored the first six points of the second half to cut the lead to 10 points. However, Jon Krull and Steve Hicklin followed with consecutive three-point plays as the Pointers pushed the lead back to 16. UW-Stevens Point maintained at least a 10-point lead the remainder of the game.

The Pointers had just six turnovers in the game, including only two in the first half, while shooting 23-for-26 at the free throw line. The outcome was somewhat of a surprise considering UW-Oshkosh entered the game as the WIAC preseason favorite and ranked seventh in the NCAA Division III, while UW-Stevens Point lost four starters from its two-time defending national championship teams and played at times with four freshmen on the floor. The victory was UW-Stevens Point's 24th straight home win.

Hicklin led the Pointers with 21 points and made all seven free throws, while Krull had 12 points and was perfect on eight free throws. Brian Bauer added a career-high 17 points and Pete Rortvedt had 13 points.

Jahnke led the Titans with 16 points and Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson) had 13 as UW-Oshkosh shot 64 percent (16-25) from the field in the second half, but was hampered by 17 turnovers for the game.

Titans Overpower Lions In Home Opener

The UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team scored the first 10 points of the game and never trailed in rolling to an 80-49 victory over Finlandia University (Mich.) on Saturday (Nov. 26) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh, ranked second in the NCAA Division III by D3Hoops.com, scored six quick points on a pair of three-point baskets by Andy Jahnke (Sr. • Manitowoc) in the first 63 seconds of play.

The Titans extended their lead to 15-5 before the Lions scored 14 of the next 19 points to cut their deficit to 20-19 with 7:23 remaining in the first half. UW-Oshkosh went to intermission leading 32-25 as Jahnke hit his third three-point basket of the period just two seconds before the break.

The Titans (1-1) scored the first 14 points of the second half to take a 46-25 lead with 14:47 to play. UW-Oshkosh maintained a lead of 20-plus points for the remainder of the contest, with its biggest advantage being 31 points, counts of 69-38, 71-40 and 80-49.

Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) collected a double-double for UW-Oshkosh, totaling 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Titans also received 13 points from Kyle Johnson (Jr. • Milwaukee) and 12 each from Jahnke and Matt Miller (Fr. • Hudson). Jahnke and Miller counted all of their points on four three-point baskets.

UW-Oshkosh won the game despite shooting just 39.1 percent (25-64) from the field. The Titans made 12 three-point baskets in the game and posted advantages of 45-28 in rebounds, 15-6 in assists and 12-20 in turnovers.

Finlandia University (1-2) shot 38.3 percent (18-47) from the field, but just 21.1 percent (4-19) behind the three-point line. The Lions were led by the 23 points and six rebounds of Tyler Lloyd and the 10 points and six rebounds of Ryan Artley.

Vikings Trip Titans In Overtime

Kyle MacGillis scored 25 points while Chris Braier added 20 points and nine rebounds as the Lawrence University men's basketball team posted an 82-75 overtime victory over UW-Oshkosh on Tuesday (Nov. 22) in Appleton. It was the 2005-06 season opener for both teams.

Lawrence University led by as many as eight points in the second half, but the contest became a dogfight for the final 10 minutes of regulation.

UW-Oshkosh, which held its last lead of the game at 6-5, trailed 65-63 after Braier's layup with 39 seconds left in regulation. The Titans' Kerry Gibson (Jr. • Jefferson) was fouled with 22 seconds left and hit both free throws to tie the game at 65-65. Gibson then blocked Braier's shot with two seconds left to force the overtime. The Vikings tried a desperation tip-in at the buzzer that went off the rim.

In the overtime, Ryan Kroeger came up big. He hit a jumper to give Lawrence University a 67-65 edge. After a Chad Doedens (Jr. • Cedarbug) layup and a Braier free throw, Kroeger nailed a 3-pointer and Lawrence University was up 71-67.

The Titans trimmed the lead back to 71-70 as Jim Capelle (Jr. • Wisconsin Dells) hit three of four free throws, but UW-Oshkosh missed its next two shots from the floor.

The Vikings then started living at the free-throw line. Lawrence University hit six consecutive free throws to bump its lead to 77-70 with 47 seconds left.

UW-Oshkosh was forced to foul, and Lawrence University hit six of seven free throws in the final 35 seconds to seal the win.

UW-Oshkosh, which entered the contest as the second-ranked team in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, was led by Gibson, who dropped in a game-high 27 points. Gibson made seven of his 13 shots from the field and 13 of his 14 tosses from the free throw line. The Titans also received 16 points from Capelle and 13 from Doedens.

Lawrence University also received 15 points from Ryan Kroeger and 13 points from Ben Rosenblatt.

Titans Ranked Third In Street & Smith's Preseason Poll

Street & Smith's 2005-06 College Basketball Yearbook has ranked UW-Oshkosh third in its preseason poll of NCAA Division III men's basketball teams.

UW-Oshkosh, which was listed second in the magazine's 2002-03 preseason poll, returns four starters from last year's team that posted a 19-8 record and finished third in the WIAC. The internet site D3Hoops.com ranked the Titans 25th in its final 2004-05 poll of NCAA Division III men's basketball teams.

The magazine was quoted as saying," The WIAC has produced four NCAA champions in the last seven years. UW-Stevens Point is rebuilding and probably won't win its third in a row, so UW-Oshkosh may very well carry the league banner this time. After all, the Titans were the last team UW-Stevens Point lost to, during a WIAC game last February. Coach Ted Van Dellen returns four starters and nine other lettermen from last year's 19-8 team. Defense is UW-Oshkosh's game, as the Titans allowed just 62.7 points per game last season.

Top returnees are 6-7 Jim Capelle (14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game), 6-3 Andy Jahnke (14.6 points per game) and 7-1 Kerry Gibson (11.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game)."

Other teams listed in the magazine's preseason poll were top-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University, second-ranked Mississippi College, fourth-ranked York College (Pa.), fifth-ranked Virginia Wesleyan College, sixth-ranked Ursinus College (Pa.), seventh-ranked Amherst College (Mass.), eighth-ranked Ramapo College (N.J.), ninth-ranked Wittenberg University (Ohio) and 10th-ranked Wilkes University (Pa.).

In addition to the team, UW-Oshkosh's Gibson was one of 31 players receiving preseason NCAA Division III All-America honorable mention accolades. Last year, Gibson shot 54.2 percent from the field and 75.2 percent from the free throw line while blocking an average of 2.9 shots per game.

Street & Smith's College Basketball Yearbook is a publication of Street & Smith's Sports Group, a division of American City Business Journals, Inc., of Charlotte, N.C. The magazine is available at newsstands across the globe.

UW-Oshkosh, which has won 196 of its last 275 games and been a participant in the NCAA Division III Tournament five times since the 1995-96 season, opens its 2005-06 campaign at Lawrence University on Nov. 22.

Titans' 2005-06 Season Preview

At the start of a new season, most teams spend the first few weeks of practice working on rebuilding their squad, allowing the players to get to know each other, teaching the plays to the newcomers and shifting players around in an attempt to fill the void for seniors that have graduated.

For the 2005-06 UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team, it will be a different story. The Titans will take a different approach and have the luxury of picking up right where they left off last year. UW-Oshkosh returns nearly its entire roster for the upcoming season and welcomes only four new players.

UW-Oshkosh, which is coming off a 10-year period in which it won 196 of 275 games, returns 10 lettermen from last year's team that posted a 19-8 record and finished third in the WIAC with an 11-5 mark.

UW-Oshkosh had five players start all 27 games last season and four of them return for the 2005-06 campaign. In addition, the Titans return 1,563 of their 1,840 points scored and 687 of their 856 rebounds collected from a year ago. Because of the talent returning, Street & Smith's 2005-06 College Basketball Yearbook ranked UW-Oshkosh third in its preseason poll of NCAA Division III men's basketball teams. The Titans were also listed second in preseason polls conducted by D3hoops.com and Division III News.

The heart and soul of UW-Oshkosh's offense will be junior forward Jim Capelle (Wisconsin Dells), junior center Kerry Gibson (Jefferson) and senior guard Andy Jahnke (Manitowoc), all starters a year ago.

Capelle is a two-time All-WIAC first team selection who has started all 54 games for the Titans the past two seasons. Capelle 14.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last year while shooting 42.5 percent from the field, 39.0 percent behind the three-point line and 83.1 percent from the free throw stripe.

Gibson, a 7-foot-1 specimen, averaged 11.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocked shots per game. He also shot 54.2 percent from the field and 75.2 percent from the free throw line. Gibson was a starter in 20 games for the Titans as a freshman.

Also back as a starter is junior guard Chad Doedens (Cedarburg). Doedens directed the offense and averaged 4.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest. He started 24 games for the Titans as a freshman and averaged 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.

Warning, who has played in 66 games for the Titans the past three years, averaged 4.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game last year. Joining Warning as a participant in all 27 games last year for UW-Oshkosh were non-starters Kyle Johnson and Wesener. Johnson averaged 3.7 points per game last season, while Wesener averaged 2.8 points and 2.5 rebounds. Jordan Johnson appeared in 23 games last year, averaging 1.7 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.

Additions to the UW-Oshkosh program this winter are senior Scott Gibson (forward) of Jefferson (Jefferson High School) and freshmen D.J. Marsh (forward) of Bayside (Nicolet High School), Matt Miller of Hudson (Hudson High School) and Huston Sprang of Manitowoc (Manitowoc Lincoln High School). Gibson, who is the older brother of Kerry Gibson, joins the UW-Oshkosh men„s basketball team after playing four seasons of football at NCAA Division I Central Michigan University.

UW-Oshkosh head coach Ted Van Dellen enters his 16th season at his alma mater with a career coaching record of 261-141, including a 7-5 mark in the NCAA Division III Tournament and a 12-5 ledger in the WIAC Tournament. Van Dellen, UW-Oshkosh„s all-time winningest coach, is just three victories shy of replacing former UW-La Crosse mentor Burt McDonald as the sixth-winningest coach in WIAC history.

UW-Oshkosh's schedule for the upcoming season is dotted with four teams that appeared in the NCAA Division III Tournament a year ago. The Titans will play a home-and-home series with defending WIAC and NCAA Division III champion UW-Stevens Point, road games at Lawrence University and Edgewood College and a neutral court battle in Las Vegas, Nev., against Aurora University (Ill.).

UW-Oshkosh has finished third place or higher in the WIAC standings six times since 1996. The Titans captured WIAC titles in 1910, 1912, 1914, 1921, 1925, 1938, 1939, 1947, 1948, 1963, 1967, 1968, 1978 and 2002. UW-Oshkosh has also made five NCAA Division III Tournament appearances since 1996, with visits to the postseason event in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2003.