10th-Ranked Falcons Take Off Against Titans

UW-River Falls had five players score in double figures to remain undefeated in league play with a 93-74 win over the UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team on Saturday (Jan. 29) in River Falls.

Aaron Anderson connected on 4-of-5 three-pointers to post a game-high 19 points. Shane Manor followed with 17 points and six rebounds, while Jake Voeltz compiled 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The Falcons (18-2/11-0 WIAC) also benefited from Danny Johnson's 13 points and Jontae Koonkaew's 10 points and five assists.

The first eight minutes of play were dominated by Voeltz and the Falcons. Taking an 11-4 lead, Voeltz marked a lay-up, a jumper and three free throws. Following a deep jumper by Johnson, Voeltz drove to the hoop for two points and a 16-6 cushion.

Johnson dialed up another three-pointer before Manor converted a lay-up with the foul. Anderson then buried two triples in two minutes to make it 35-15. The final five points of the opening period came on free throws, with Manor's pair booking a 43-22 score at the half.

Greg Schrimpf (Jr. • Manitowoc) sank a long-distance bucket and a lay-in to pull the Titans (9-10/4-7 WIAC) within 15 points during the first two minutes of the closing half. UW-River Falls wouldn't let it get any tighter, booking an 11-2 run that included consecutive Anderson triples to go ahead, 55-31.

The middle of the second half featured 19 made free throws in a span of six minutes. Koonkaew swished two of them to gain a 69-38 lead with 11:13 remaining. He later stretched the margin to 28 when he nailed a trio at the charity stripe.

Cory Wittwer (Sr. • Fall Creek) and John Flanigan (Jr. • Oshkosh) were UW-Oshkosh's offense to close the game. Flanigan tallied seven straight points to obtain a 77-55 deficit. With 2:24 on the clock, Wittwer finished off a three-point play to make it a 91-65 ballgame.

UW-Oshkosh made 23 free throws (70 percent), but it hit just 3-of-16 shots from long range (19 percent). The Titans, who were paced by Flanigan's 19 points, compiled 46 percent shooting overall (24-52). Wittwer added 18 points and Schrimpf 11.

The Falcons excelled in every area, knocking down 8-of-13 three-pointers (62 percent) and 27-of-36 foul shots (75 percent). They nailed 57 percent of their field goal attempts (29-51) and turned the ball over eight times. UW-River Falls, ranked 10th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, also captured the rebounding battle, 32-28.

The Titans make a trip to UW-Platteville on Wednesday (Feb. 2).