Titans Cruise To Impressive Win Over Knights
Adam Fravert led all players with 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists as the nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team handed Calvin University (Mich.) its largest loss in more than 50 years with an 89-50 triumph Saturday (Dec. 7) in Grand Rapids, Mich.
UW-Oshkosh (5-3), ranked 13th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, scored the first seven points of the game before building leads of 48-24 at halftime and 89-48 with less than two minutes remaining. The reigning national champion Titans shot a season-high 54.8 percent (34-62) from the field and compiled advantages of 48-26 in rebounds, 20-10 in assists, 8-6 in steals and 7-3 in blocks.
Calvin University (3-4) suffered its most lopsided loss since a 107-64 setback against Ferris State University (Mich.) during the 1963-64 campaign. The Knights, who sport the 10th best winning percentage in Division III history at .666 entering this season, have since gone on to claim national titles in 1992 and 2000.
Fravert shot 7-for-10 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range, and 6-for-7 at the free throw line on the way to his seventh double-digit scoring performance of the year and 56th during his four-year career.
Jack Flynn matched his season best with 19 points for the Titans, who also received 12 points from reserve Will Mahoney and 10 from starter Connor Duax. Flynn went 8 of 12 from the floor while Mahoney shot 5-for-6 from the field and dished out three assists in 19 minutes off the bench.
Ten Titans contributed points, including reserves David Vlotho and Levi Borchert with nine and six, respectively. Borchert grabbed nine rebounds and registered three assists. UW-Oshkosh starter Eric Peterson chipped in three points, six rebounds, four assists and a career-high three blocks as the Titans outrebounded their 10th consecutive opponent.
Calvin University, which was held to its lowest point total since the 2014-15 season, shot a season-worst 31.3 percent (20-64) from the field and went 4-for-7 at the foul line, marking season lows in both made free throws and free throw attempts.
Derrick DeVries, Thad Shymasnki and Emmett Warners paced the Knights with 12 points each on a combined 12 of 37 shooting from the floor. DeVries entered the day ranked ninth nationally by averaging 25.8 points per game.
Fravert and Flynn both converted layups before Peterson hit a 3-pointer for a 7-0 UW-Oshkosh lead with 16:41 remaining in the first half. Calvin University missed its first three field goal attempts and committed a pair of turnovers until DeVries made a jumper for the Knights' first points at the 16:13 mark of the opening period.
Flynn scored in the lane to extend the Titans' lead to 28-17 with 7:29 left in the first half, and UW-Oshkosh led by double digits the rest of the way. Leading 30-19 with just over six minutes to play in the first half, UW-Oshkosh closed the period with an 18-5 run that featured seven points by Fravert and four apiece from Borchert and Vlotho.
The Titans later put the game away with a 21-2 run that upped their lead to 82-43 with under six minutes remaining in the contest. The decisive second-half run, which spanned more than seven minutes, included eight points from Fravert, five by Mahoney and four from Flynn. UW-Oshkosh limited the Knights to 1-for-10 shooting from the floor during its 21-2 run that lasted from the 12:18 mark of the second half until there was 5:21 left in the game.
UW-Oshkosh owned its largest lead of 41 points at 89-48 following a Brandon Whiteside 3-pointer with 97 seconds remaining.
The Titans have won each of their last four meetings with Calvin University, including a 92-56 victory last season in Oshkosh.
UW-Oshkosh plays at St. Norbert College on Dec. 17.
Photo courtesy of D3photography