Levi Borchert had a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team to a convincing 79-58 victory at UW-Stevens Point on Wednesday (Feb. 9).
UW-Oshkosh, ranked third in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, did not trail the Pointers on the way to improving to 18-3 overall and 8-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and earning its fifth consecutive win the series with UW-Stevens Point.
The Titans reclaimed the lead for good at 6-4 after a Borchert layup at the 17:39 mark of the first half before building their cushions to 22-8 midway through the opening period, 41-23 at halftime and 59-31 with 13:59 remaining in the game.
Borchert was nearly perfect from the field, shooting 9-for-11 en route to notching his WIAC-leading 11th double-double of the season. Borchert, a 2021 D3hoops.com Third Team All-American, is now averaging 18.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest while shooting 63.2% from the floor.
Four Titans scored in double figures, including Eddie Muench, JT Petrie and Jonah Rindfleisch with 11 points each. Rindfleisch, who along with Petrie both shot 5-for-7 from the field, established a new scoring best while Petrie's point total was a season high and two shy of matching his career best.
Cole Booth chipped in nine points for UW-Oshkosh, which also received seven points and five assists from Hunter Plamann, and six points and six assists from Eric Peterson.
UW-Oshkosh finished the night shooting 35 of 64 (.547) from the floor, 4-for-17 (.235) from 3-point range and 5-for-12 (.417) at the free throw line. The Titans, who shot better than 50% from the field for the eighth time this season, owned advantages of 44-28 in rebounds, 20-8 in assists, 6-4 in steals and 2-0 in blocks. Both teams committed nine turnovers.
UW-Stevens Point shot 35% (21-60) from the field, 21.7% (5-23) from beyond the 3-point arc and 91.7% (11-12) at the foul line. The Pointers went into the night ranked 410th among 411 Division III teams by averaging just 29.6 rebounds per contest.
The Titans entered the game ranked second in the country by holding opponents to 26.5% from 3-point range and fourth nationally with 9.3 turnovers per contest. UW-Oshkosh has committed 10 or fewer turnovers on 14 occasions this season.
Garrett Nelson had a team-leading 12 points and two assists for UW-Stevens Point while Jake Buchanan added 11 points, and Brennan Timm contributed nine points and a team-best eight rebounds.
UW-Oshkosh displayed a stifling defense during the first half, holding the Pointers to 8-for-28 (.286) shooting from the field in the opening 20 minutes. UW-Stevens Point scored in the paint to trim its deficit to 12-8 with 13:54 left in the first period. However, the Pointers would miss their next five field goal attempts as the Titans rattled off 10 points in a row, including five by Muench, for a 22-8 cushion midway through the first half.
The Titans maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way after Plamann buried a 3-pointer for a 20-8 advantage with 11:28 left in the first period. UW-Oshkosh then went on to lead by at least 18 points following a Reed Gunnink layup that concluded the first-half scoring at the 1:17 mark. The Titans owned their largest lead of 28 points at 59-31 after Rindfleisch made a free throw with 13:59 to go.
The first matchup this season between UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point – originally scheduled for Jan. 12 in Oshkosh – was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.
UW-Oshkosh hosts a showdown with seventh-ranked UW-La Crosse (19-3, 9-3 WIAC) on Saturday (Feb. 12) in Kolf Sports Center.