UW-Oshkosh tallied a 9-1 scoring run in the closing two minutes to post a 69-63 win over the Carroll University men's basketball team on Wednesday (Dec. 29) in Waukesha.
The Titans (5-5) owned a 60-52 advantage with 8:15 to play before the Pioneers (4-5) made things interesting. Kyle Jones recorded two free throws and a jump shot, while Andrew Rumler finished off a three-point play. The UW-Oshkosh margin stood at 60-59 with 1:52 on the clock.
Nate Wara (So. • Oshkosh) connected from downtown to start the game-clinching streak. The Titans then got a last-minute lay-up from Paul Wojahn and three free throws in the final 0:33 to stretch their lead to 69-60 with 19 seconds remaining.
Greg Schrimpf's (Jr. • Manitowoc) 14 points paced four UW-Oshkosh players in double figures. Brian Washington (So. • Waukesha) racked up 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds, while Cory Wittwer (Sr. • Fall Creek) totaled 10 points and three assists. Wojahn also marked 10 points for the Titans, who achieved a 15-5 edge in offensive rebounds (37-26 overall).
A very competitive first half featured five ties. Washington's basket in the lane with 15:23 on the clock equaled the score at 9. Compiling five consecutive points, Mitch Tordoff provided the Pioneers a 16-13 advantage with a three-point play. Jake Bast later put an 18-18 figure on the scoreboard with a lay-up at the 8:52 mark.
UW-Oshkosh finally gained some separation by rallying for 10 unanswered points. Wojahn sank three free throws, in addition to a long-range jumper by Schrimpf. Wara capped the spurt with a foul shot to make it 28-18 with 5:42 to play before halftime.
Schrimpf heated up late in the period, nailing a three-pointer, a jumper and two free throws. The Titans held a 57 percent to 40 percent advantage in shooting as they took a 41-29 lead to intermission. They also owned a 20-8 margin in rebounds.
Carroll University got no closer than six points (48-42) during the first 13 minutes of the second half. After the Titan lead expanded to 12, Jones knocked down a hoop both inside and outside the arc to make it a 45-38 score with 17:12 to go. The Pioneers later registered four straight points at the charity stripe to earn a 52-46 deficit with 12:25 left.
Jones topped all scorers with 16 points, as Paul Grosshuesch notched 15 points and eight rebounds. Dan Kratz also contributed eight points, four blocks and three assists for Carroll University, which hit 48 percent (21-44) from the field and 4-of-10 from three-point land.
UW-Oshkosh made 17 foul shots (65 percent), as did the Pioneers (68 percent). The Titans, who improved to 6-0 in the series since 1990, totaled 44 percent (24-54) shooting overall and 29 percent accuracy from downtown (4-14).
Marian University visits Kolf Sports Center to take on the Titans on Friday (Dec. 31).