Titans Fall in First Road Game of Season

Grand Rapids, Mich.- The No. 3 UW-Oshkosh Titans men's basketball team fell to Calvin University on Friday, 59-56.

Oshkosh won the tip against Calvin, and jumped out to a 7-2 lead, but couldn't hold on. The Knights tied the game up at 10 quickly, before calling a timeout. Calvin kept swinging out of the timeout, scoring four, taking their first lead of more than a point of the game. The Titans fought back, chipping away at the Knights' lead until they tied the game back up at 19. Calvin took a 22-19 lead they held onto with 4:23 left in the half they held onto through halftime, with only 10 points scored in that time. Oshkosh trailed 28-23 at the end of a slow scoring first half, the longest scoring drought being 2:09 between the 10-10 tie at 11:10 and a Calvin jump shot at 9:01. 

At halftime, the Titans had shot nine-of-23 from the field, two-of-five from three and three-of-seven from the line. Joseph Adamson and Levi Borchert each had six points. Eric Peterson led with two assists and Borchert had a team-high six rebounds. 

Oshkosh scored right away in the second half with a Borchert layup. Jonah Rindfleisch made two more layups, but seven points from Calvin forced a full timeout from Oshkosh's bench, down 37-29. That was the largest lead of the night for either team. A block and a defensive rebound from Rindfleisch stopped two Knights plays, with four points from Steckbauer and Borchert bringing the game back within one with 12:19 left in the second half. Oshkosh kept attacking out of a Calvin timeout, taking their first lead since a 10-8 lead early in the first half on a Borchert layup at 43-42. The game stayed within three points with both teams taking small leads until the end of the game. The Knights took the last lead at 1:43, Jalen Overway breaking a 55-55 tie with a layup. Hunter Plamann scored the only other point for the Titans, a free throw with under a minute left to play. Overway increased the Knights' lead to three with a layup at 13 seconds, making the last basket of the game. 

Oshkosh finished the game shooting 45 percent from the field, 33 percent from three and 50 percent from the line. Borchert led with 19 points and 14 rebounds, going nine for 17 from the field and one for four from the line. Peterson had a team-high three assists and three steals. Adamson led the Titans' bench with six points and tied with Will Mahoney for the most rebounds off the bench with two.

Calvin's Overway led all scorers with 34 points, shooting .750 (15 for 20) from the field and .666 (two for three) from both three and the line. He also had 11 rebounds and two assists. Marcus Bult was the Knights' only other scorer over 10 points, with 16, also pulling down five rebounds. Owen Varnado led Calvin's bench with two points.

The Titans continue their Michigan trip tomorrow, heading to Holland, Mich. to face the Hope College Flying Dutchmen. The Flying Dutchmen are currently unranked but receiving votes. They have a 1-0 record so far this season, with a 74-63 win over UW-Stout on Friday night.