STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Stephen Pelkofer and Sean McGann combined for 45 points but UW-Oshkosh used a 14-0 second-half run to defeat the UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team 64-59 in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play on Saturday afternoon at Bennett Court at Quandt Fieldhouse.
For the second game in a row, Pelkofer set a career high in scoring, backing up a 24-point performance on Wednesday with 26, including six three-pointers, for UW-Stevens Point (8-7, 1-3 WIAC). McGann added 19 but UW-Oshkosh (10-5, 3-1 WIAC) used a balanced attack and a barrage of second-half three-pointers to pick up the win.
The Pointers led 48-41 with 6:23 remaining in the second half before the Titans went on a 14-0 spurt to go up 55-48 with 1:51 left. Charlie Noone started the surge with back-to-back threes and Sean Dwyer and Ben Boots also connected from long distance as the visitors hit five consecutive shots in the decisive run.
UW-Oshkosh made nine of 10 free throws in the final 53 seconds of the game to prevent any chance of a UW-Stevens Point rally. In the second half, the Titans were 13-for-16 (81.3 percent) from the charity stripe, 6-for-8 (75.0 percent) from behind the arc and 12-for-19 (63.2 percent) from the field.
Pelkofer was 9-for-15 from the field, including 6-for-9 from three-point range, on his way to his career-best 26 points and also added a game-high six rebounds. McGann scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half and finished 7-for-15 from the floor with five rebounds.
After a low-scoring first half that saw the teams tied at 21-21, the Pointers used an 11-3 run early in the second half to go ahead 37-31. Pelkofer accounted for eight of UWSP's 11 points and Ethan Bublitz added a three-pointer during the run.
UW-Oshkosh got within two, 41-39, with 9:35 left on an Alex Olson three. However, Pelkofer answered with a three before finding Canon O'Heron for a layup with 6:23 to go to put the hosts up seven prior to the late run by the Titans.
Ten players score for the Titans in the game, led by 12 points each from Noone and Boots. The pair each made two three-pointers and combined to go 10-for-12 from the free-throw line on the afternoon. UW-Oshksoh shot 55.3 percent (21-for-38) from the field in the game to help offset nine threes by the Pointers.
UW-Stevens Point travels to River Falls to face the Falcons on Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m.