Titans Open Oregon Trip With Win

Ben Boots led 10 Titan scorers with 16 points, Jack Flynn notched his fourth double-double of the season and the nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team remained unbeaten with a 79-58 victory over George Fox University on Tuesday (Dec. 19) in Newberg, Ore.

UW-Oshkosh (8-0), ranked fourth in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, scored 15 unanswered points during a stretch of nearly nine minutes in the first half to extend its lead to 30-14 with just under five minutes left before intermission.

The Titans maintained a double-digit lead for the final 27:41 after building a 24-14 advantage. UW-Oshkosh, off to its best start since starting the 1997-98 season with eight consecutive wins, went on to lead by as many as 24 points midway through the second half.

All 19 Titans received playing time as UW-Oshkosh held George Fox University to its lowest scoring output of the season. The Bruins, who entered the game averaging 85.4 points, scored at least 88 points four times this year, including 110 in a win over Gallaudet University (Md.) on Nov. 21.

UW-Oshkosh also limited George Fox University to its lowest-scoring performance last season with a 78-49 decision during the teams' first meeting in Oshkosh.

The Titans concluded Tuesday's contest with advantages in field goal percentage (.516 to .393), rebounds (43-29), assists (17-11), steals (6-4), blocks (4-0) and turnovers (10-8).

Boots, who paced the Titans in scoring for the third time in the past four games, shot 6-for-11 from the field and added five assists and three steals.

Flynn had 13 points on 6 of 10 shooting from the floor and 10 rebounds, including five on the offensive end.

UW-Oshkosh's Adam Fravert registered 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He had a pair of left-handed dunks as the Titans recorded 52 points in the paint.

Connor Duax chipped in a career-high 11 points off the UW-Oshkosh bench, which accounted for 33 points and 14 rebounds.

Neither team led by more than three points until the Titans' decisive 15-point run that began with a dunk by Flynn at the 13:18 mark of the first half and included four points apiece from Duax and Brett Wittchow.

George Fox University (4-5) missed 11 consecutive field goal attempts and committed three turnovers during UW-Oshkosh's 15-point surge, which ended on a 3-pointer by the Bruins' Thomas Rico that trimmed their deficit to 30-17 with 4:49 to play in the first half.

UW-Oshkosh scored the final six points of the opening period for a 36-21 lead at halftime.

The Bruins shot just 31 percent (9-29) from the floor during the first half while UW-Oshkosh shot 46.9 percent (15-32). The Titans committed just two turnovers and owned a 21-10 rebounding advantage.

A layup by Flynn increased the Titans' lead to 56-35 with 12:46 left in the second half, and a 3-pointer from Boots gave UW-Oshkosh, which led by at least 13 points the entire second period, its largest advantage at 66-42 with 9:52 remaining.

George Fox University's Rico led all players with 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field. He added a team-leading three assists and two steals.

Mason Green-Richards recorded 16 points for the Bruins, who also received eight points and a team-leading five rebounds from Dylan Hamlett.

UW-Oshkosh wraps up its trip to Oregon against Willamette University on Thursday (Dec. 21) in Salem.

Photo courtesy of Shelby Byerly, George Fox University