Titans To Host 19th-Ranked Pointers

The UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team hosts its second ranked conference opponent of the season when 19th-ranked UW-Stevens Point visits Kolf Sports Center on Saturday (Jan. 10).

The Titans (8-5, 2-2 WIAC) enter the 7 p.m. contest on a three-game winning streak. UW-Oshkosh defeated Carthage College, 72-63, on Dec. 31 before downing conference foes UW-Superior, 61-54, on Jan. 3 and UW-River Falls, 59-57, on Wednesday (Jan. 7).

UW-Oshkosh is in fifth place in the WIAC standings, one-half game behind UW-Platteville (10-4, 3-2 WIAC) and UW-River Falls (5-9, 3-2 WIAC).

The Titans, whose 60.2 opponent scoring average ranks third in the WIAC, have a 7-1 record when holding opponents to less than 60 points.

Alex Olson averages 14.5 points to lead UW-Oshkosh and rank eighth in the conference. He has reached double-figure scoring in nine contests this season and tallied 22 or more points three times. Olson also has a team-high 29 steals, which is the second-highest total in the WIAC.

AJ Mueller has added 10.4 points and a team-leading 4.9 rebounds per game for the Titans, while Sean Dwyer has averaged 8.1 points on the strength of 30-for-66 (45.5 percent) shooting from behind the 3-point line. Dwyer's 30 3-pointers rank third in the league. Kyle Bolger has contributed 6.2 points per contest and leads UW-Oshkosh with 40 assists.

UW-Oshkosh, which is three games over .500 for the first time since 2009, averages 63.7 points. The Titans are shooting 42.9 percent (287-669) from the floor, 31.9 percent (76-238) from beyond the 3-point arc and 67.4 percent (178-264) from the free throw line.

UW-Stevens Point (10-3, 4-0 WIAC) has won three consecutive games and seven of eight since beginning the season with a 2-2 record. The Pointers, who are playing on the road for the sixth time in the last seven games, defeated California opponents Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (57-49) on Dec. 29 and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (71-65) on Dec. 31 before returning home with a 74-55 victory over UW-Platteville on Wednesday.

The Pointers were ranked seventh in the preseason by D3hoops.com and have been in the top 25 for 36 consecutive polls. They have also appeared in eight straight NCAA Division III postseason tournaments and won national titles in 2004, 2005 and 2010.

UW-Stevens Point leads the WIAC with a .499 (324-649) shooting percentage and a 58.8 opponent scoring average. The Pointers have shot better than 50 percent from the field seven times this year, including five of the last seven games. They have also held eight opponents to 60 points or less.

UW-Stevens Point shoots 39.7 percent (81-204) on 3-point attempts and 69.1 percent (154-223) from the foul line. The Pointers have the fewest turnovers in the WIAC and entered the week ranked 11th in the NCAA Division III in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Alex Richard paces the Pointers with 14.1 points per game on 65.7 percent (69-105) shooting from the floor.

UW-Stevens Point, which has had the same starting lineup in all 13 games, also receives 12.7 points per game from Stephen Pelkofer, 11.5 from Joe Ritchay, and 9.9 from Austin Ryf. Pelkofer leads the Pointers with 4.5 rebounds per game while Ritchay and Ryf have 41 and 37 assists, respectively.

The Pointers have won 13 straight games over UW-Oshkosh and hold a 119-83 advantage in the series.