Titans Overpower Scots
Adam Fravert had game highs with 19 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three blocks as the nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team earned a 99-74 victory over Alma College (Mich.) on Friday (Dec. 7) in Kolf Sports Center.
UW-Oshkosh (6-1), which never trailed, broke the game open with a 16-3 scoring run that provided a 27-12 advantage at the 7:49 mark of the first half. The Titans, ranked seventh in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, went on to lead by at least 20 points the entire second half.
The Titans, averaging 85.9 points per game on the year, picked up their fifth consecutive win by establishing season highs in points, rebounds (54) and made 3-pointers (14).
Fravert shot 8 of 11 from the floor, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range, while notching a season-high assist total in just 22 minutes.
Ben Boots added 18 points and a season-best six rebounds for the Titans, who also received 15 points from Jack Flynn and 11 from Connor Duax. Boots went 4-for-8 from 3-point range, and Flynn shot 9-for-9 at the free throw line.
UW-Oshkosh's David Vlotho and Jake Zeitler both chipped in nine points. Vlotho contributed seven rebounds while Zeitler knocked down three 3-pointers en route to a career-high scoring effort.
The Titans finished the game shooting 45.6 percent (36-79) from the field, 37.8 percent (14-37) from beyond the 3-point arc and 81.3 percent (13-16) at the foul line. UW-Oshkosh owned advantages in rebounds (54-31), turnovers (7-9) and blocks (5-3). The UW-Oshkosh starting lineup accounted for just one turnover in 108 combined minutes while the 54 boards are the Titans' most in the 638 games since also collecting 54 against UW-Whitewater on Feb. 1, 1995.
Alma College (0-6) went into the game ranked 13th in the country by committing just 10.7 turnovers per game while UW-Oshkosh was 18th at 11.0 per contest. The Titans were also 19th nationally with a 1.44 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The Scots shot 42.3 percent (30-71) from the floor, 40 percent (12-30) from 3-point range and 100 percent (2-2) from the free throw line.
UW-Oshkosh scored the first four points of the game on free throws by Flynn during the opening minute. Clinging to an 11-9 lead with 12:50 left in the opening period, the Titans tallied eight unanswered points, including six on back-to-back 3-pointers by Zeitler in the span of 36 seconds, to extend their advantage to 19-9.
Alma College responded with a 3-pointer from Cole Kleiver to pull within 19-12, but UW-Oshkosh once again scored eight points in a row for a 27-12 lead with 7:49 remaining in the first half. The Titans' second 8-0 scoring run was highlighted by 3-pointers by Fravert and Vlotho. UW-Oshkosh maintained a double-digit lead for the rest of the game after a Vlotho's 3-pointer at the 9:16 mark.
UW-Oshkosh entered intermission with a 52-32 lead after owning 28-13 rebounding advantage and shooting 10-for-20 from 3-point range and 10-for-10 at the foul line during the opening half.
Fravert later scored each of the Titans' seven points during a stretch less than two minutes as UW-Oshkosh extended its lead to 77-45 with 12:16 remaining. UW-Oshkosh went on to build its largest lead of 33 points on two occasions. A free throw by Eric Peterson gave the Titans a 78-45 advantage with 11:28 left before a Flynn layup upped UW-Oshkosh's lead to 80-47 at the 9:49 mark.
Kevin Gamble led Alma College with 13 points while Matt Lark added 10 off the Scots' bench.
UW-Oshkosh has won both of its meetings with Alma College, including a 62-56 decision in the first matchup on Dec. 19, 2014, in Oshkosh.
The Titans host their second straight Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association opponent when they welcome Calvin College to Kolf Sports Center on Saturday (Dec. 8).
Photo courtesy of Steve Frommell, D3Photography.com