Marsh’s Hot Half Leads Titans Past Yellowjackets

D.J. Marsh (Sr. • Bayside) exploded for 24 of his game-high 30 points in the second half as the UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team posted a 68-61 victory over UW-Superior on Saturday (Feb. 13) in Kolf Sports Center.

Marsh knocked down 10-of-19 shots from the field and 10-of-12 free throws to move into 21st place on the WIAC's career scoring list with 1,746 points. Marsh, who was making his 103rd consecutive start, added six rebounds, five steals and four assists.

UW-Oshkosh (10-13/5-10 WIAC) rattled off 10 unanswered points to overcome a 52-48 deficit with 8:28 left in the contest. Marsh opened the scoring streak with two lay-ups and a free throw, while Greg Schrimpf (So. • Manitowoc) splashed a three-point shot to put the Titans up, 58-52, with 5:04 left on the clock.

UW-Oshkosh led by five-plus points the rest of the way, including a 66-57 count with 22 seconds remaining.

UW-Superior (13-10/6-8 WIAC) used some hot shooting from Dan Culy to gain the upper hand early. Following a Jake Smith three-point basket, Culy buried back-to-back shots from three-point range to give the Yellowjackets a 12-4 advantage just 6:08 into the contest.

Five consecutive points by Marsh started a 12-4 scoring response for the Titans. Paul Wojahn (Fr. • Oshkosh) converted a shot in the lane to pull his team within 14-13. With 9:25 to play in the opening period, Jade Royston (Fr. • Wisconsin Dells) knocked down a deep jumper to tie the score at 16.

UW-Superior gained a 20-16 lead, but the next eight points belonged to the Titans. Schrimpf drained a three-point attempt at the shot-clock buzzer to make it a one-point UW-Oshkosh deficit. Just moments later, Schrimpf heaved another long shot and swished it to give the Titans a 24-20 lead at the 4:42 mark of the first half.

Culy responded with consecutive three-point baskets to push the Yellowjackets ahead. The Titans then tied the game at 28 on a pair of close baskets from Steven Waudby (Sr. • Marquette, Mich.). Dwight Hill's three-point play with 13 seconds left gave UW-Superior a 31-28 halftime cushion.

A three-point basket by Hill, a three-point play by Smith and a free throw by Culy vaulted the Yellowjackets to a 42-36 lead with 15:26 to play.

Marsh then took over, scoring the next eight UW-Oshkosh points. He capped the outburst with a steal and breakaway dunk to bring the Titans within 45-44 at the 12:02 mark.

UW-Superior took leads of 49-44 and 52-48 before the Titans tallied four straight points to tie the score at 52 with 7:25 left.

UW-Oshkosh shot 49 percent (25-51) from the field, including 53.8 percent (14-26) in the second half. The Titans made 4-of-12 (33.3 percent ) three-point shots and 14-of-17 (82.4 percent) free throws.

UW-Oshkosh secured a 33-19 edge in rebounds, thanks to a career-high 11 by Brian Washington (Fr. • Waukesha). Greg Schrimpf (So. • Manitowoc) contributed 11 points as the other Titan in double-figure scoring.

The Yellowjackets were held 15 points below their season average as they hit 46.7 percent (21-45) of their shots from the field and 78.6 percent (11-14) of their free throws. UW-Superior owns the top three-point percentage in the league, and it backed that up with 8-of-16 (50 percent) long-range conversions.

Culy paced the Yellowjackets with 20 points, including five three-point baskets. Smith added 15 points, five rebounds and two assists.

The Titans welcome nationally ranked UW-Whitewater to the Kolf Sports Center for the conference finale on Wednesday (Feb. 17).