Titanic Duo Buries Blue Devils

D.J. Marsh (Sr. • Bayside) and Greg Schrimpf (So. • Manitowoc) combined for 58 points as the UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team posted an 87-75 victory over UW-Stout on Saturday (Jan. 16) in Kolf Sports Center.

Marsh surpassed 30 points for the third time this season on 12-of-17 shooting from the field and 8-of-9 accuracy from the free-throw line. He also grabbed nine rebounds and tallied three steals.

Schrimpf scored a season-high 25 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and 7-of-7 marksmanship from the free-throw line. All nine of his shots from the field were taken behind the three-point arc.

As a team, UW-Oshkosh (7-8/2-5 WIAC) was strong in all three shooting categories. The Titans made 51 percent (26-51) of their field goal attempts, 47.1 percent (8-17) of their three-point shots and 87.1 percent (27-31) of their free throws.

UW-Stout (7-8/2-5 WIAC) held a 7-2 advantage after Eric Hostetter knocked down a jump shot. Schrimpf and Marsh both followed with three-point baskets to give the Titans an 11-9 lead with 12:33 to play in the first half.

Luke Miller (Sr. • Elk Grove Village, Ill.) hit a jumper at the shot-clock buzzer to put UW-Oshkosh ahead, 16-15. Schrimpf went on to record the Titans' next nine points on a pair of three-point baskets and a trio of foul shots. His long-range bucket with 6:35 to play in the opening period gave UW-Oshkosh a 25-22 lead.

A 16-6 scoring run put the Titans on top, 38-28, with 3:09 left in the first half. Marsh accounted for the final seven points of the spurt, capping it with a three-point play.

Grant Franzen's lay-up got UW-Stout within 40-35, but the Blue Devils couldn't get any closer the rest of the way.

UW-Oshkosh opened the second stanza with eight of the first 10 points to extend its advantage to 50-37. After missing his initial three-point shot, Cory Wittwer (Jr. • Fall Creek) reloaded on an offensive rebound and buried a long-range jumper to give the Titans a 59-44 lead with 12:16 left.

UW-Oshkosh was up by double digits for the majority of the second half, with its biggest advantage being 17 points at 67-50.

Hostetter later scored seven straight UW-Stout points on a lay-up, two free throws and a three-point basket to pull the Blue Devils within 77-69 with 1:29 remaining.

The Blue Devils had three double-figure scorers as Hostetter marked 24 points, Franzen 12 and Jordan Nelson 10. Jerrod Buchholtz added seven points, five rebounds and three assists.

UW-Stout shot 50 percent (26-52) from the field, 29.4 percent (5-17) behind the three-point line and 69.2 percent (18-26) from the free-throw stripe.

The Titans won the rebounding battle, 35-22, and the turnover count, 13-14.

UW-Oshkosh hosts UW-La Crosse on Wednesday (Jan. 20) in Kolf Sports Center.