Titans Start Conference Play With Overtime Thriller Win
PLATTEVILLE, Wis.- The No. 15 UW-Oshkosh Titans men's basketball team opened conference play with an overtime win, coming back from a double-digit deficit to beat UW-Platteville on Wednesday night on the road.
First Half Summary
After Eric Peterson tied the game up at two shortly after the tip-off, the Titans fell behind, but kept the score within 10 until a Platteville three made the score 17-7 with 12:22 left in the first half. Cole Booth pulled Oshkosh back within three with a three-point of his own, but a 7-0 run by the Pioneers put the first half out of reach. At halftime, Oshkosh trailed Platteville 33-24.
First Half Leaders
Oshkosh shot 32.1 percent from the field, 18.2 percent from three and 66.7 percent from the line in the first half. Peterson was the Titans' top scorer with seven points; going three-of-five from the field and one-of-two from three. Levi Borchert recorded the most rebounds in the half for the team with nine (two offensive).
The Pioneers shot 43.3 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from three and 66.7 percent from the line in the first half, with a leading 11 points from Brady Olson. He went five-of-nine from the field and one-of-two from three in the half. Olson also led Platteville in rebounds with five (one offensive). Three assists from Logan Pearson were good for most of all players in the half.
Second Half Summary
After trading points for just about 10 minutes of the second half, Platteville took a commanding 15-point, 50-35 lead. Two baskets from Booth pulled the game back within 10, and the Titans would continue chipping away at the Pioneers' lead until Jonah Rindfleisch made a layup to tie the game at 59 with 46 seconds left in regulation. A Pioneer three-point attempt with 20 seconds left would miss and go out of bounds and be the last shot until the five-minute overtime.
Second Half Leaders
The Titans shot 48.4 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three and 75.0 percent from the line in the second half, outscoring Platteville 35-26. Peterson led in points again, with 13 on a perfect five-of five from the field and an three-of-four from the line. Booth also scored double-digit points, with 10 in the half. Borchert pulled in eight rebounds with five offensive.
Platteville shot 40.7 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from three and 0.0 percent on two attempts from the line in the second half. Pearson, Ben Probst and Max Love each scored five points for the Pioneers, leading the team in the half. Brad Nies led with three rebounds (one offensive).
Overtime Summary
After tying the game and sending it to overtime, Rindfleisch kicked off scoring with a jump shot 10 seconds into the extra time. Nies briefly tied it up at 61, but four-straight points by the Titans gave them a lead they would never give up. Neither team scored more than four-in-a-row the rest of the overtime, but Oshkosh built up to a nine-point win by the time the final buzzer sounded, with a score of 75-66.
Full Game Leaders
Oshkosh shot 42.4 percent from the field, 27.8 percent from three and 77.8 percent from the line for the whole game. Peterson ended the game with 23 points, breaking a career record 19 points he set against UW-Stevens Point on Jan. 22, 2020. Cole Booth followed him with 18 points of his own. Borchert recorded the 28th double-double of his career with 14 points and 19 rebounds (seven offensive). Hunter Plamann led the Titans with four assists and three steals. With the win, the Titans come home with a 6-2, 1-0 WIAC record.
Platteville shot 39.4 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from three and 55.6 percent from the line through the game. Pearson was their leading scorer, scoring 15 points on five-of-17 from the field, three-of-eight from three and two-of-two from the line. He also led with four assists. Nies pulled in a team-leading nine rebounds (four offensive). The Pioneers ended the night with a 4-3, 0-1 WIAC record.
Looking Forward
Oshkosh returns home on Saturday to take on the UW-Stout Blue Devils at 5 p.m. in Kolf Sports Center. The first 50 fans in fieldhouse will receive a free convertible backpack. Tickets can be found here.
Watching Records
After adding 14 points to his career total, Borchert currently sits a 957 total points. If he hits 1,000, he will become the 37th player in program history to reach the milestone, and the first since Adam Fravert did it in 2020.