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Alex Olson is the third Titan to score 31+ points in the WIAC Tournament.
Alex Olson is the third Titan to score 31+ points in the WIAC Tournament.

Titans Fall To UW-La Crosse In WIAC Tournament Opener

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Calahan Skogman scored 23 points and Lucas Collom grabbed 19 rebounds to lead UW-La Crosse to a 76-61 victory over UW-Oshkosh in a first-round game of the WIAC Men's Basketball Tournament held Wednesday (Feb. 26) in La Crosse.

The victory advances third-seeded UW-La Crosse (17-9) to Friday's (Feb. 28) semifinal matchup at second-seeded UW-Whitewater (22-3).

The other semifinal scheduled for Friday has fourth-seeded UW-Platteville (16-10) visiting top-seed UW-Stevens Point (24-1). UW-Platteville posted a 70-53 win over UW-Stout on Wednesday, while UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater earned first-round byes. The tournament's championship contest is scheduled for Sunday (March 2).

Skogman made 7-of-13 shots from the field and all eight free throws to help UW-La Crosse to its third win of the season over the sixth-seeded Titans (12-14).

The Eagles also received 14 points from Skylar Cameron, 13 from Braden Tice and 11 from Collom. The 19 rebounds by Collom established a WIAC Tournament record.

Alex Olson's career-high 31 points led UW-Oshkosh, which was appearing in the WIAC Tournament for the first time since 2009. Olson became just the third Titan to score 31-plus points in a WIAC Tournament game, making 11-of-18 shots from the field and 6-of-7 attempts from the free throw line.

The Titans also obtained 11 points from Dylan Wurtz and six points from both Kyle Bolger and Jade Royston. Bolger and Max Schebel collected a team-best four rebounds.

UW-La Crosse never trailed in the contest. The score was tied 4-4 when the Eagles scored 10 straight points to take a 14-4 lead with 11:07 left in the opening period.

UW-Oshkosh used an 8-2 run to cut its deficit to 16-12 with 7:48 remaining and trailed 18-15 with 6:38 left. The Eagles responded with a 10-2 run and eventually took a 36-23 lead to intermission.

Trailing 45-27 with 17:05 left, UW-Oshkosh scored 11 straight points to slice its deficit to 45-38 with 13:54 remaining. UW-La Crosse answered with a 13-2 run, including a pair of three-pointers from Cameron, to lead 58-40 with 11:16 left.

UW-La Crosse took its largest lead of the game, 62-42, on a Skogman layup with 9:53 to play. The Titans then used a 10-2 streak to make it 64-52 with 6:53 remaining.

UW-Oshkosh cut UW-La Crosse's lead to 10 points twice in the last five minutes of the game, including 69-59 with 3:32 left, but couldn't get any closer.

UW-Oshkosh posted shooting marks of 28 percent (20-54) from the field, 33.3 (7-21) beyond the arc and 73.7 (14-19) from the foul line. The Titans committed just seven turnovers.

UW-La Crosse shot 46.3 percent (25-54) from the field, including 45.5 (10-22) behind the three-point line. The Eagles, who tallied a 43-24 rebounding advantage, made 16 of their 20 free throws (80 percent) while turning the basketball over 14 times.

UW-Oshkosh's 12 victories this season are its most since 2009. The Titans compiled a 7-9 WIAC record and shared fifth place in the league standings with UW-Stout.