The UW Oshkosh men’s basketball team began regular season play with a victory on Wednesday when the Titans defeated Benedictine University (Ill.) by a score of 74-68 at Kolf Sports Center.
In the first half, it was a struggle offensively for the Titans, as UWO shot just 27.8 percent from the field and 26.3 from the three-point line.
UWO junior guard Brett Wittchow contributed the most for the Titans in the first half after scoring 11 points and registering three three-pointers, including an important shot from behind the right wing arc to give the Titans a four-point lead 30-26 with 2:57 left.
The Eagles had strong contributions from their guard play, including Kenny Bogus, who scored 24 points and Brayden Olson, who tallied 18 points against UWO.
Benedictine took a 33-30 lead into halftime when Bogus converted a three-point play with 49 seconds left in the first half.
But UWO tied the game up after going on a 16-6 run in the middle of the second half at 50-50. The run was sparked by UWO junior guard Ben Boots, who hit a step back three-pointer to cut the score to 37-44. The second half was a much different story for the Titans offensively, as the team outscored the Eagles 44-35.
Boots carried the way for the Titans in the second half, scoring 20 points to finish with a total of 22 for the game. The junior guard also tallied four assists in the game.
Boots said his teammates helped him get out of a slump by getting him open in the second half.
“[I] just got into a rhythm; basketball is a rhythm sport for me,” Boots said. “My teammates were able to find me a lot of open shots and once those fell, I was able to watch the rest fall.”
Senior guard Charlie Noone said that with it being the first game, it took time for the Titans to finally lock in offensively.
“We slowed down; in the beginning we were a little amped up,” Noone said. “We settled down in the second half, took better shots and just played better basketball.”
UWO head coach Pat Juckem said the team settled down offensively and took better shots to help the Titans get the victory.
“In the first half, we took a lot of quick shots,” Juckem said. “There needs to be balance; in the second half, we settled in and found the right shots.”
Juckem said the team’s youth showed the uplifting potential of this team.
“We graduated six seniors last year,” Juckem said. “We have two new starters, a bunch of guys in different roles, we’ve got that mix of veterans and young guys. We’re showing a lot of growth.”
Next up for UW Oshkosh will be St. Norbert as the Titans will go into De Pere to face the Green Nights on Tuesday, Nov. 21st.
