Titans Finish Road Trip With Win

Holland, Mich.- The No. 3 UW-Oshkosh Titans men's basketball team defeated the Hope College (Mich.) Flying Dutchmen 67-56 in their final game of a weekend Michigan road trip on Saturday.

The Titans won the tip, and Cole Booth made a quick layup from Hunter Plamann to take the lead. They increased the lead to 5-0 before the Flying Dutchmen made a three for their first points of the game. Hope took a short 8-7 lead over the Titans after a jump ball gave them possession, followed by the teams trading points and leads before a timeout from Hope stopped the clock with the game tied at 11 with 14:05 left in the first half. The Titans scored four quick points out of the timeout with a layup from Levi Borchert and two made free throws from Joseph Adamson. Oshkosh led the Flying Dutchmen 22-20, when Oshkosh called a timeout. The Flying Dutchmen tied the game at 28 with 7:06 left in the first half. The next points were scored with 4:41 left when Adamson scored a turnaround jumper in the paint over a Hope defender. It gave Oshkosh a 30-28 lead, but Evan Thomas quickly tied the game back up with a jumper of his own. Thomas looked to give the Flying Dutchmen a three-point lead with 1:43 left, but a huge block by Eric Peterson kept the score tied at 32. The Titans would outscore the Flying Dutchmen 3-2 through the end of the half, leading 35-34 at halftime.

The Titans shot 46.7 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three and 83.3 percent from the line in the first half. Peterson and Quinn Steckbauer each had eight points in the half, leading Oshkosh. Borchert had a team-high six rebounds, also scoring seven points and recording an assist. Peterson and Will Mahoney led the team with two assists a piece. 

A three from Plamann kicked off scoring in the second half, putting the Titans up by four. Oshkosh extended the lead to seven before the Flying Dutchmen made a layup and immediately called a timeout. Borchert increased the Titans' lead to ten with a rebound following being fouled on an offensive rebound. At a timeout with 13:48 left in the game, Oshkosh had outscored 13-4 in the half. Oshkosh's defense had a very strong two and a half minutes in the middle of the half, not allowing the Flying Dutchmen score, forcing three turnovers in the same period. When Oshkosh called a timeout with 11:41 left in the game, they led 48-40. They scored four out of the timeout, taking their first lead of more than ten on an Adamson jump shot, and keeping Hope off the board until Thomas made a layup with 7:18 left. Oshkosh led 57-44 when a timeout was called at 5:56 remaining. Hope went on a 7-0 run to make the score 59-51 with 3:39 left on the clock. Clayton Dykhouse recorded all seven points and a steal in the run. The Flying Dutchmen were looking to bring the game back within 10 points when Peterson got his arm in the way of a pass and stole the ball, passing it to Steckbauer for a fast break layup to make it a 13-point game and the Titans' last points of the game.

Oshkosh improves to 2-1 on the season, Hope will fall to 1-1 after beating UW-Stout 74-63 on Friday night.

Titan Leaders

Borchert led the Titans with 17 points and eight rebounds, going six for 12 from the field, one for one from three and four for seven from the line. Peterson had a team-high five assists. Booth, Steckbauer, and Peterson all had at least ten points. 

Flying Dutchmen Leaders

Thomas was Hope's leading scorer with 24 points. He shot nine for 16 from the field, two for seven from three and a perfect four for four from the line. Dykhouse and Gabe Quillan each had over 10 points for the Flying Dutchmen. Thomas had the most rebounds for the Flying Dutchmen with ten and tied for the team lead in assists at three with Marcus Wourman.

Looking Forward

The Titans head back on the road to Aberdeen, S.D. to participate in the Small College Basketball Champions Classic on Nov. 18-19. They will face the 1-0 No. 13 University of St. Joseph (Conn.) Bluejays on Friday and Noon CST, and the 0-1 Nebraska Wesleyan University Prairie Wolves on Saturday at 10 a.m. CST.