Taylor Jansen scored four points and grabbed one rebound
Taylor Jansen scored four points and grabbed one rebound

Titans Overpowered By 10th-Ranked Warhawks

UW-Whitewater converted a season-high 12 three-pointers to claim an 86-55 win over the UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team on Tuesday (Jan. 8) in Kolf Sports Center.

The Warhawks, who entered the game ranked 10th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, shot 66.7 percent behind the three-point arc, going 12-for-18. UW-Whitewater (11-2/2-2 WIAC) had seven players score from long distance, including five in the second half.

UW-Whitewater jumped out to a 23-6 lead with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half. Eric Bryson sparked the Warhawks during the scoring run by making all five of his shots, including three three-pointers. Reggie Hearns contributed two lay-ups and a dunk.

UW-Oshkosh (4-8/0-4 WIAC) battled back, bringing the score to 28-16 with 4:32 left in the first half. That would be as close as the Titans would get as the Warhawks scored eight of the next 10 points to take a 36-18 lead to intermission.

UW-Whitewater extended its lead to 52-28 before going on a three-point barrage during an eight-minute stretch of the second half. The Warhawks made seven shots beyond the three-point arc, including three from Clay Stevens and two from Cody Odegaard, to take an 83-46 lead with 4:09 to play.

UW-Oshkosh answered back with nine straight points, including a three-pointer from Sean Dwyer, to cut its deficit to 83-55 with 1:31 left. The Warhawks then closed the scoring with three straight points by Brian Roedl.

Dylan Wurtz led the Titans in scoring with 10 points. UW-Oshkosh also received seven points from both Nick Olson and AJ Mueller and six from Alex Olson. Nick Olson grabbed a team-high three rebounds while Wurtz and Riley Vander Wyst tallied three assists each.

Bryson scored 15 points to pace UW-Whitewater. Hearns contributed 14 points and eight rebounds, Steve Egan eight points and seven rebounds and Alex Merg seven points and five steals.

UW-Oshkosh shot 37.5 percent (18-48) from the field and 72.7 percent (16-22) from the free throw line. The Titans committed 18 turnovers while making just three of their 18 three-point shots (16.7 percent).

UW-Whitewater, which outrebounded UW-Oshkosh, 42-23, shot 55.2 percent (32-58) from the field. The Warhawks, who totaled 17 turnovers, also shot 58.8 percent (10-17) from the free throw stripe.

UW-Oshkosh takes to the road for its next two contests, visiting UW-River Falls on Saturday (Jan. 11) and top-ranked UW-Stevens Point next Wednesday (Jan. 15).