Titans Mount Comeback Over Eagles; Steckbauer Scores Career-High 30 Points

LA CROSSE, Wis.- In a game they trailed by as much as 15 in, the UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team defeated the No. 15 nationally ranked UW-La Crosse Eagles on Saturday, taking sole possession of the top of the WIAC standings. The Titans are now on a three-game winning streak, all against conference foes.

First Half Summary

The Titans stuck first with a Quinn Steckbauer three, but an Eagle 10-0 run quickly put them behind 12-5 after about five minutes of play. Neither team scored more than two baskets in a row until Oshkosh scored eight in-a-row with two threes to pull the score back within two points with 7:43 left in the first half. La Crosse slowly built up a lead to the end of the half, leading 44-31 after 20 minutes.

First Half Leaders

Oshkosh shot 37.0 percent (10-of-27) from the field, 37.5 percent (six-of-16) from three and 62.5 percent (five-of-eight) from the line in the half. Steckbauer led with 11 points, going four-of-seven from the field, including three-of-four from three. Eric Peterson recorded seven rebounds and two blocks and Levi Borchert recorded two assists.

La Crosse shot 50.0 percent (17-of-34) from the field, 50.0 percent (seven-of-14) from three and 100 percent (three-of-three) from the line in the half. Torin Hannah led the Eagles with 12 points, going five-of-eight from the field including two-of-four from three. He was followed by Austin Westra who had 11 points. JJ Paider was their top rebounder of the half, pulling in five. Three Eagles had two assists.

Second Half Summary

The second half started with a series of runs; the Titans immediately went on a 10-0 run. Not to be outdone, the Eagles responded with a 7-0 run, followed by another Oshkosh 6-0 run. The score sat at 47-53 after the three runs with 10:48 remaining in the half. The teams traded points until Oshkosh went on another run, this time scoring eight points, tying the game up at 58 all. A Plamann three with 4:35 remaining gave the Titans their first lead since the score was 5-2 in the first half. The lead changed three times until the fourth change stuck on a 9-0 run for Oshkosh led by six points from Plamann. 11 points were scored in the last 30 seconds of the game, but the Eagles couldn't overcome the Titans. The score at the final buzzer was 78-73.

Full Game Leaders

Oshkosh shot 46.3 percent (24-of-52) from the field, 50.0 percent (12-of-24) from three and 72.0 percent (18-of-25) from the line. Steckbauer led all scorers with 30 points, going eight-of-12 from the field, five-of-six from three and nine-of-nine from the line. Hunter Plamann and Levi Borchert followed with 22 and 11 points, respectively. Eric Peterson was the top rebounder for the Titans, recording 10 (two offensive). With the win, the Titans sit alone atop the conference standings with a 12-5 (5-1 WIAC) record.

La Crosse shot 46.0 percent (29-of-63) from the field, 45.8 percent (11-of-24) from three and 80.0 percent (four-of-five) from the line. Hannah led the Eagles with 19 points, going eight-of-13 from the field and three-of-five from three. Austin Westra and Craig Steele each scored double-digits as well, 17 and 11 respectively. La Crosse fell to a 13-4 (4-2 WIAC) record.

Looking Forward

The Titans return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 18 to face UW-Stevens Point at home.