Titans Put Bulldogs Away With Strong Second Half
Alex Olson had a game-high 18 points and Max Schebel scored all of his season-high 16 points in the second half as the UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team downed Adrian College (Mich.), 70-61, at the Trine University Classic on Saturday (Dec. 19) in Angola, Ind.
The Titans erased a seven-point (33-26) halftime deficit by shooting 59.1 percent (13-22) from the field in the second period and closing the game with a 22-8 run.
UW-Oshkosh (6-2) won its sixth straight game while Adrian College (6-3) has lost three of its last four contests.
Olson ended the game shooting 6 of 12 from the field and totaling four rebounds, while Schebel made 5 of 6 field goal attempts and 6 of 8 shots from the free throw line in just 13 minutes of action as he and the Titan reserves combined for 41 points.
UW-Oshkosh concluded the game shooting 49 percent (24-29) from the floor and held advantages in rebounds (32-30), assists (11-7) and turnovers (13-8). The Titans converted 18 of 25 (.720) free throw attempts while the Bulldogs made just 6 of 13 (.462).
Kyle Bolger contributed eight points and led all players with six assists for the Titans, who also received seven points and a team-leading five rebounds from Nick Olson and seven points from Ben Boots.
UW-Oshkosh scored the first seven points of the game before Adrian College answered with 19 straight points for a 19-7 lead midway through the first half. The Bulldogs made 7 of 10 field goals while the Titans missed eight consecutive shots from the field and committed two turnovers during Adrian College's 19-point skein that included eight points by Davonte Harris and seven by Christian Covile over a span of nearly eight minutes.
The Titans whittled the Bulldog lead to three points on two occasions before halftime, but Adrian College went into intermission with a 33-26 advantage. The Bulldogs ended the opening period shooting 54.2 percent (13-24) from the floor, including 50 percent (3-6) from behind the 3-point line.
A three-point play by Schebel capped a string of eight straight UW-Oshkosh points that provided the Titans with their first lead of the second half at 43-42 with 14:44 remaining.
The Bulldogs knocked down three consecutive baskets to push their lead back to 49-43 with just under 13 minutes to play, but a pair of layups by Taylor Jansen in the span of 20 seconds gave the Titans the lead for good at 55-54 with 8:19 left. Adrian College was held scoreless for nearly three minutes during UW-Oshkosh's decisive 12-5 scoring run.
Alex Olson's only 3-pointer of the game extended the Titan lead to 61-56 with 4:49 remaining, and UW-Oshkosh scored its last nine points from the free throw line. Adrian College was limited to just 2 of 10 shooting from the field and committed three turnovers during the last 6:36 of the contest.
UW-Oshkosh converted 15 of 20 (75 percent) shots from the free throw line during the second half, while Adrian College made 2 of 4 (50 percent).
The Bulldogs ended the game shooting 47.2 percent (25-53) from the floor, including 41.7 percent (5-12) from 3-point range.
Harris and Covile led Adrian College with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Isiah Crofford registered seven points and a game-best seven rebounds off the bench for the Bulldogs, who received a total of 14 points and 12 rebounds from their reserves.
UW-Oshkosh remains in Angola to play host Trine University on Sunday (Dec. 20).