Titans' NCAA Championship Opener Ends With Loss To Bluejays

Reserve Peyton Wyatt scored 14 of his career-high 17 points during the second half as nationally ranked Elmhurst College (Ill.) pulled a away for a 73-63 win over UW-Oshkosh in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship on Friday (March 4) in St. Paul, Minn.

Wyatt made 4 of 6 shots from the floor, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range, and converted 7 of 9 attempts from the foul line in 23 minutes played. His 3-pointer gave the Bluejays the lead for good at 38-35 with 15:05 left to play.

Elmhurst College (22-6), ranked 18th in the country by D3hoops.com, advances to play eighth-ranked University of St. Thomas (Minn.) (25-3) on Saturday (March 5) in St. Paul.

UW-Oshkosh (18-10), making its sixth NCAA postseason appearance and first since 2003, pulled within 57-55 on a 3-pointer by Charlie Noone with 4:37 to play.

Will Nixon knocked down a jumper and a pair of free throws to extend the Elmhurst College lead to 61-56 at the 1:57 mark, and the Bluejays led by at least four points the rest of the way.

The Titans made just 1 of 7 shots from the floor during a span of nearly four minutes and that resulted in a 12-2 Elmhurst College scoring run and a 69-57 Bluejay lead with 49 seconds left. Elmhurst College made 11 of 14 free throws during the last 1:57 to secure the victory.

Elmhurst College starters Bryant Ackerman and Erik Crittenden added 10 points apiece. Crittenden also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.

The Bluejays, who matched their school record for wins, are moving on to the second round of the championship for the second straight season. The Titans end the season with their fewest losses since posting a 17-9 record in 2008.

Elmhurst College made up for 39 percent (16-41) field goal shooting by converting 34 of 40 (85 percent) free throws and 7 of 16 (43.8 percent) attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. The Bluejays, who entered the game ranked fifth nationally in rebounding margin (+9.3), also held a 39-30 advantage on the boards.

UW-Oshkosh made just 4 of 6 (66.7 percent) attempts from the foul line, but held advantages in assists (14-8), turnovers (11-9) and steals (4-1). The Titans ended the game shooting 40.3 percent (25-62) from the floor, including 32.1 percent (9-28) from 3-point range.

UW-Oshkosh took its first lead of the game at 15-14 on a layup by Noone with just over 12 minutes to go in the first half. The Titans reclaimed an 18-16 advantage on a 3-pointer by Sean Dwyer at the 9:58 mark, and a layup by Ben Boots gave UW-Oshkosh its largest lead of four points at 29-25 before a jumper by Crittenden knotted the score at 29 at intermission.

A 3-pointer by Brett Wittchow provided the Titans their last lead at 34-33 with 17:04 left.

Alex Olson paced UW-Oshkosh with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. He capped his career with 1,153 points, 373 rebounds, 222 assists and 149 steals in 106 games played, including 82 as a starter.

Noone added 12 points and four rebounds for the Titans, while Boots contributed 10 points and two assists.

Elmhurst College upped its record to 4-4 in NCAA postseason play, while UW-Oshkosh fell to 7-6.

2016 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Bracket

Photo courtesy of Ryan Coleman, D3Photography.com