Hunter Plamann, Levi Borchert and Eddie Muench combined for 66 points as nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh advanced to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament championship game with an 86-77 home victory over UW-Whitewater during the semifinal round Thursday (Feb. 24) in Kolf Sports Center.
Top-seeded UW-Oshkosh (21-3), ranked third in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, trailed for just 18 seconds early in the first half en route to reaching the WIAC Tournament title game for the eighth time overall and fifth in the past eight seasons.
The Titans reclaimed a 10-9 lead they would not relinquish following a Plamann 3-pointer with 14:28 left in the first period. UW-Oshkosh later created separation with 10 consecutive points for a 52-41 cushion at the 14:53 mark of the second half.
UW-Oshkosh, which has won 19 of its last 20 home games, will host sixth-ranked and second-seeded UW-Platteville (21-4) at 5 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 26) for the WIAC Tournament championship game in Kolf Sports Center. UW-Platteville, the defending WIAC Tournament champion, clinched its spot in the league postseason final with a 74-51 home win over ninth-ranked and third-seeded UW-La Crosse (20-6) on Thursday.
The winner of Saturday's final earns the WIAC's automatic berth into the Division III Championship that begins March 4.
Plamann led all players with a season-high 26 points and a career-best eight assists Thursday, shooting 7-for-13 from the field, 3-for-5 from 3-point range and 9-for-11 at the free throw line. Plamann, whose previous season highs were 24 points and seven assists, finished one point shy of matching a career best.
Borchert, a 2021 D3hoops.com Third Team All-American, produced his 13th double-double of the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Borchert, now averaging 18.6 points and 10.6 rebounds on the year, went 6-for-11 from the floor and 10 of 14 at the foul line against UW-Whitewater.
Muench added 18 points for the Titans on 6-for-7 shooting from the field, including 3-for-4 from beyond the 3-point arc.
UW-Oshkosh had four double-digit scorers as Jonah Rindfleisch contributed 10 points and six rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench.
The Titans went 28 of 50 (.560) from the floor, 7-for-15 (.467) from 3-point range and 23 of 32 (.719) at the free throw line while owning advantages of 32-24 in rebounds and 16-15 in assists.
UW-Whitewater shot 47.4% (27-57) from the field, 38.1% (8-21) from beyond the 3-point arc and 83.3% (15-18) at the charity stripe. The Warhawks, who entered the night 13th in the country with a WIAC-leading .490 field goal percentage, held edges of 9-13 in turnovers, 8-5 in steals and 5-2 in blocks.
UW-Oshkosh, which shot better than 50% from the floor for the 10th time this season, headed into the WIAC semifinals ranked second nationally by holding opponents to 26.1% from 3-point range and fourth at 9.3 turnovers per game.
Derek Gray paced UW-Whitewater with 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Gage Malensek and Carter Capstran chipped in 14 and 10 points, respectively, for the Warhawks.
UW-Whitewater took its lone lead of the night at 9-7 after a Jack Brahm layup with 14:46 left in the opening half. However, UW-Oshkosh answered with Plamann's go-ahead 3-pointer 18 seconds later and maintained a lead the rest of the way.
UW-Oshkosh went on to shoot 5-for-12 from beyond the 3-point arc during the first half and held a 42-33 lead at intermission following a 9-2 run over the last 3:53 of the period. Muench and Plamann both drained 3-pointers and Quinn Steckbauer contributed a jumper during the half-ending spurt.
The Titans committed turnovers on their first five possessions of the second half, allowing the Warhawks to pull within 42-41 with 17:41 left in the game, but UW-Oshkosh regained control with a string of 10 unanswered points as a Muench four-point play capped the run for a 52-41 cushion at the 14:53 mark.
UW-Whitewater never got closer than four points the remainder of the night after a Muench layup provided the Titans a 46-41 lead with 16:15 left.
UW-Oshkosh has now won eight of its last nine meetings with UW-Whitewater overall and five of their six matchups in the WIAC Tournament. The Titans previously ousted the Warhawks from the conference tournament during the 2002 and 2003 finals, 2004 quarterfinals and 2017 semifinals. UW-Oshkosh's win Thursday avenges an 82-78 overtime setback to UW-Whitewater on Jan. 5 that marked the Titans' lone home loss since the 2019-20 campaign.
The Titans, seeking their fifth WIAC Tournament championship, also made the finals in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020. UW-Oshkosh claimed league postseason titles in 2002, 2003, 2016 and 2020.
UW-Platteville, making its sixth WIAC Tournament finals appearance, clinched the league postseason crown in 1999, 2019 and 2021.
Photo by Steve Frommell, UW-Oshkosh Athletics