Titans Claim Second Straight Win With Victory Over Blugolds

OSHKOSH, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team took down UW-Eau Claire 83-71 behind double-digit performances from all five Titan starters on Wednesday night (Jan. 24) at the Kolf Sports Center.

The Titans (9-9, 2-5 WIAC) were led by guard Will Mahoney (Sr. • Appleton), who scored 20 points on seven-of-11 shooting and grabbed four rebounds. Forward Tristan Johanknecht (Fr. • Oshkosh) scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed two rebounds while guard Carter Thomas (So. • Neenah) finished with 19 points and five rebounds. Guard Michael Metcalf-Grassman (Fr. • Shawano) recorded 13 points with six boards while guard Reed Gunnink (Sr. • Brandon) added 11 points.

Oshkosh shot 58.8 percent (30-of-51) from the field and 63.6 percent (seven-of-11) from behind the arc and held the Blugolds (8-10, 1-6 WIAC) to 40.9 percent (27-of-66) shooting on the night. The Titans dominated in points in the paint (44-32) and led in points off turnovers (8-6). UW-Oshkosh shot 80 percent (16-of-20) from the free throw line while the Blugolds shot 57.1 (eight-of-14) from the charity stripe.

The Blugolds took an early lead in the first half after a three-pointer from Caiden Lecce, but Thomas connected on his own three-point shot on Oshkosh's next possession to tie the game at 3-3. Eau Claire scored back-to-back baskets to take a five-point lead, but the Titans went on a 6-0 run and took a 9-8 lead after a three-point play from Thomas. The Blugolds responded with an 8-0 run after a Cade Hall layup and Eau Claire built a seven-point advantage with 13 minutes to go in the half.

After a timeout, Oshkosh went on a 10-2 run and took a 19-18 lead following a Mahoney layup. The two teams swapped baskets for the next seven minutes until a Johanknecht layup sparked a 12-3 run that saw the Titans take an eight-point lead. Eau Claire scored the final five points of the half while Oshkosh held onto a 38-35 advantage going into halftime.

Mahoney extended the Oshkosh lead to five points with a layup to begin the second half, but a 7-0 run from the Blugolds gave Eau Claire a 42-40 lead. The Titans notched the game at 42 after a layup from Johanknecht with 16 minutes to play before Eau-Claire converted on a free throw to take a one-point lead. Both teams traded baskets for most of the second half until a Mahoney layup kickstarted a 10-0 that gave Oshkosh a 69-58 advantage with six minutes remaining.

The Blugolds pulled to within six points with three minutes to play until a pair of free throws and a layup from Metcalf-Grassman gave the Titans a 76-66 lead. Oshkosh maintained a double-digit advantage for the rest of the contest and the Titans cruised to their ninth win of the season.

UW-Oshkosh will be back in action on Saturday (Jan. 27) when the Titans will travel to Menominee to take on UW-Stout with tip off scheduled for 3 p.m.

Written by Jacob Link, UW-Oshkosh Sports Information