Titans Remain Unbeaten With Win Over Bearcats

Charlie Noone had a season-high 20 points and Adam Fravert added 17 as the nationally ranked men's basketball team defeated first-time opponent Willamette University (Ore.), 77-57, on Thursday (Dec. 21) in Salem, Ore.

UW-Oshkosh (9-0) led the entire game after scoring the first seven points. The Titans owned a 37-26 advantage at intermission and maintained a double-digit lead for the final 11:10 of the contest after Fravert recorded his second dunk of the second half to make the score 55-44.

Willamette University (5-4), which entered the contest averaging 78.3 points per game, was held to its lowest scoring output, field goal percentage and rebounding total of the season.

UW-Oshkosh, ranked fourth in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, is off to its best start since winning 11 consecutive games to open the 1996-97 season.

Noone, who contributed three steals, shot 5-for-12 from 3-point range to surpass his previous season high of 19 points and register his sixth double-figure scoring effort of the year.

Fravert shot 7 of 11 from the floor and chipped in six rebounds.

UW-Oshkosh's Jack Flynn had eight points and a team-leading eight rebounds while David Vlotho produced eight points in his first career start. Flynn and Vlotho both recorded dunks during the second half as the Titans tallied 32 points in the paint.

Ben Boots compiled seven points, six rebounds, a career-high eight assists and three steals for the Titans. Boots went into the game ranked third in the country with a 5.83 assist-to-turnover ratio.

UW-Oshkosh concluded the contest with advantages in field goal percentage (.467 to .377), rebounds (42-29), assists (16-9) and steals (9-5). The Titans shot 28-for-60 from the floor, including 10-for-24 (41.7 percent) from 3-point range.

The Titans jumped out to a 7-0 lead following a 3-pointer from Vlotho and layups from both Flynn and Fravert. The Bearcats committed turnovers on their first four possessions and missed each of their three field goal attempts until Brendon McCullough drilled a 3-pointer to cut the Willamette University deficit to 11-4 at the 14:43 mark of the opening period.

Willamette University pulled within 19-13 with just over six minutes to play in the first half, but UW-Oshkosh's Sam Ebersold scored all five of his points in the span of 40 seconds to increase the Titans' advantage to 24-15.

Clinging to a 24-22 lead with four minutes to play in the opening half, UW-Oshkosh closed the period with a 13-4 scoring run that included 3-pointers by Fravert, Noone and Jake Laihinen.

The Bearcats trimmed the Titans' lead to 39-33 early in the second half before Fravert and Boots combined for seven straight points for a 46-33 UW-Oshkosh advantage. The Titans led by at least nine points during the game's final 16 minutes.

Nico Troplent paced Willamette University with 17 points while Jordan Jenkins had 12 points and a team-best eight rebounds and two assists for the Bearcats.

UW-Oshkosh is off until traveling to Wisconsin Dells to play Saint Mary's University (Minn.) on Dec. 29 and Ripon College on Dec. 30.