Titans' NCAA Postseason Journey Ends With Overtime Defeat
Michael Pollack's layup with three seconds remaining in overtime was the difference as North Central College (Ill.) slipped past UW-Oshkosh, 84-82, in a matchup of nationally ranked teams during the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday (March 7) in Naperville, Ill.
Naperville Regional host North Central College trailed, 60-47, with 10:43 left in regulation before storming back to tie the score at 67 at the 2:58 mark of the second half. Blaise Meredith drilled a 3-pointer to cap a 23-7 run that provided the Cardinals their first lead since midway through the first half at 70-67 with 1:59 to go in regulation.
A Jack Flynn tip-in gave UW-Oshkosh a 71-70 edge, but Matt Cappelletti hit a 3-pointer to put North Central College back in front, 73-71, with 15 seconds remaining in the second half. However, Flynn sent the game into overtime after collecting another offensive rebound and scoring in the lane to tie the score at 73 with two ticks to play as Aiden Chang's 3-pointer for the Cardinals was blocked by Flynn at the buzzer.
The overtime period was tied at 75 and 77 until Will Clausel gave North Central College a 79-77 lead on a layup with 2:21 left. Pollack drained another 3-pointer on the next Cardinal possession, but UW-Oshkosh responded with the next five points on an Eddie Muench 3-pointer and a pair of Will Mahoney free throws that tied the score at 82 with 42 seconds to go.
Cappelletti grabbed an offensive rebound with 17 seconds left on the ensuing North Central College possession, and Clausel passed to Pollack for the game-clinching layup 14 seconds later. Following a UW-Oshkosh timeout, the Titans' attempt at a winning 3-pointer from half court was off the mark as time expired.
North Central College (23-5), ranked 11th in the country by D3hoops.com, advances to play in the third round of the NCAA postseason Friday (March 13) against 16th-ranked Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.). The Cardinals, who avenged a 76-66 loss to UW-Oshkosh in their season opener Nov. 12 in Naperville, reached the semifinals of the 2013 Division III Championship.
Meredith, who dished out a game-high six assists and registered two steals, led four Cardinal double-digit scorers with 23 points on 8-for-20 shooting from the field.
Pollack had 17 points off the North Central College bench, connecting on 6 of 8 shots from the floor, including 5-for-6 from 3-point range, while Cappelletti and Clausel chipped in 11 points apiece. Cappelletti grabbed a team-best seven rebounds.
Flynn went 10 of 20 from the field and paced the Titans with 23 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and 21st career. Flynn, the program leader with 122 career games played, ends his four seasons at UW-Oshkosh ranked fourth in school history rebounds (799) and ninth in points (1,565).
UW-Oshkosh had four starters score in double digits as Muench and Levi Borchert, who collected eight rebounds, had 15 points apiece, and Adam Fravert chipped in 12 points to go along with six rebounds, a team-best four assists and three blocks.
Fravert, the WIAC Co-player of the Year, capped his UW-Oshkosh career ranked second in program history in blocks (158), third in rebounds (802), fourth in assists (312) and 11th in points (1,459).
North Central College shot 32 of 71 (.451) from the floor, 12 of 24 (.500) from beyond the 3-point arc and 8-for-10 at the free throw line. The Cardinals owned advantages of 20-11 in assists, 10-12 in turnovers and 3-2 in steals.
UW-Oshkosh went 33 of 70 (.471) from the field, 6-for-15 (.400) from 3-point range and 10 of 13 (.769) at the foul line. The Titans, who held a 41-36 rebounding advantage, went into the night ranked seventh nationally with a +10.3 average rebounding margin.
The teams exchanged the lead seven times during the first half as Muench made a 3-pointer at the 9:11 mark of the first half to provide the Titans a 20-18 advantage they would not relinquish until late in the second period. Muench's long-range jumper was part of a string of 15 unanswered UW-Oshkosh points that turned an 18-15 deficit with 11:19 left in the first half into a 30-18 lead at the 6:24 mark.
UW-Oshkosh, which led as many as 15 points during the first period, went into halftime with a 46-35 advantage after shooting 54.5 percent (18-33) from the field, including 50 percent (5-10) from beyond the arc. Muench went 4-for-4 from 3-point range during the opening 20 minutes.
Borchert completed a three-point play to extend UW-Oshkosh's lead to 51-39 with 16 minutes to play in regulation, and Borchert's layup at the 12:16 mark gave the Titans a 58-45 advantage. However, North Central College responded with a 25-9 run to reclaim a 70-67 lead on Meredith's 3-pointer with 1:59 left in the second half. Meredith and Pollack combined for 19 points during the Cardinals' 25-9 run.
UW-Oshkosh, ranked 24th in the nation, concluded the season with a 20-9 record. The Titans, making their fifth straight and 10th overall trip to the Division III Championship, were the defending national champions after finishing as the runners-up in 2018.
NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Naperville Regional Website
NCAA Division III Men's Basketball • NCAA.com Website
NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Interactive Bracket
2020 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Digital Program