Guard Quinn Steckbauer had a game-high 24 points as the UW Oshkosh men’s basketball team defeated UW-River Falls 79-70 Feb. 4 at the Page Arena.

UWO, ranked No.23 in the nation by d3hoops.com, had four of its five starters finish in double-figures. Steckbauer went 7 for 11 from the field, including 6 for 8 from behind the arc. Forward Levi Borchert scored 17 points in the contest while guard Eric Peterson had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Hunter Plamann added 10 points for UWO, who shot 52% as a team from the floor.

UWO opened the second half with a pair of free throws from guard Hunter Plamann and a layup from forward Levi Borchert to take an eight-point lead. The Titans were able to maintain at least a six-point advantage throughout the second quarter until a Falcon 3-pointer trimmed the margin to three points.

Borchert converted on another layup, but UWRF’s Jack Leifker made back-to-back jump shots to cut the UWO lead to one point. With eight minutes remaining, UWRF’s Logan Jedwabny knocked down a 3-pointer to take the lead, forcing UWO head coach Matt Lewis to call a timeout.

Following the Timeout, the Titans went on an 8-4 run capped off by a Steckbauer 3-pointer and UWO took a one-point lead. After both teams went scoreless for almost three minutes, Plamann drained a 3-pointer which jumpstarted a 10-2 run for the Titans, who led 74-65 with 49 seconds to play. Oshkosh converted its free throws in the final seconds of the game to secure the eighth straight win for UWO.

In the first half, Oshkosh’s Eric Peterson opened the scoring with a 3-pointer 15 seconds into the game, but UWRF went on a 7-0 run to take an early 7-3 lead. The Falcons maintained a four point lead for most of the first half until a Marshall Holland 3-pointer and a pair of free throws from Mateo Renta increased the UWRF lead to nine points.

The Titans responded by going on a 9-0 run with just over five minutes to play in the half to cut the River Falls advantage to just one point. Peterson nailed a 3-pointer to give the Titans a two-point lead and UWO finished the half on a 8-4 run to go into the locker room up 35-31.

Oshkosh will take on UW-Whitewater Feb. 8 at the Williams Center at 7 p.m. and can clinch a share of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title with a win.

On Feb. 3, Plamann became the second player this season to reach 1000 career points in Oshkosh’s 74-63 win over UW-Eau Claire at the Kolf Sports Center.

The teams traded baskets for almost the entire first half, but the Titans led 36-35 after the first 20 minutes behind a 21-point half from Plamann. UWEC’s Brock Voigt tied the game with a free throw early in the second half, but a Plamann layup started a scoring run that saw the Titans open up an eight point lead. The Blugolds kept the game within reach, but slowly Oshkosh pulled away for the 11-point win.

Plamann finished with a career-high 33 points while his 12 field goals and six 3-pointers were career-bests. Borchert had his 36th career double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 16 boards.