The UW Oshkosh men’s basketball team took down UW-Eau Claire 83-71 behind double-digit performances from all Titan five starters Jan. 24 at the Kolf Sports Center.
The Titans (9-9, 2-5 WIAC) were led by guard Will Mahoney, who scored 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting and grabbed four rebounds. Forward Tristan Johanknecht scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed two rebounds while guard Carter Thomas finished with 19 points and five rebounds. Guard Michael Metcalf-Grassman scored 13 points and grabbed six boards while guard Reed Gunnink added 11 points.
Oshkosh shot 58.8% from the field and 63.6% from behind the arc and held the Blugolds (8-10, 1-6 WIAC) to 40.9% shooting on the night. The Titans dominated in points in the paint (44-32) and led in points off turnovers (8-6). UWO shot 80% from the free throw line while the Blugolds shot 57.1% from the charity stripe.
The Blugolds took an early lead in the first half after a 3-pointer from Caiden Lecce, but Thomas connected on a 3-pointer on Oshkosh’s next possession to tie the game at 3-3. Eau Claire scored back-to-back baskets to take a five-point lead, but the Titans went on a 6-0 run and took a 9-8 lead after a 3-point play from Thomas. The Blugolds responded with an 8-0 run after a Cade Hall layup and Eau Claire built a seven-point advantage with 13 minutes to go in the half.
After a timeout, Oshkosh went on a 10-2 run and took a 19-18 lead following a Mahoney layup. The two teams swapped baskets for the next seven minutes until a Johanknecht layup sparked a 12-3 run that saw the Titans take an eight-point lead. Eau Claire scored the final five points of the half, but Oshkosh held onto a 38-35 advantage going into halftime.
Mahoney extended the Oshkosh lead to five points with a layup to begin the second half, but a 7-0 run from the Blugolds gave Eau Claire a 42-40 lead. The Titans notched the game at 42 after a layup from Johanknecht with 16 minutes to play, but Eau-Claire converted on a free throw to take a one-point lead. Both teams traded baskets for most of the second half until a Mahoney layup kickstarted a 10-0 that gave Oshkosh a 69-58 advantage with six minutes remaining.
The Blugolds pulled to within six points with three minutes to play, but a pair of free throws and a layup from Metcalf-Grassman gave the Titans a 76-66 lead. Oshkosh maintained a double-digit advantage for the rest of the contest and the Titans cruised to their ninth win of the season.
UWO will be back in action on Saturday Jan. 27 when the Titans will travel to Menominee to take on UW-Stout with tip off scheduled for 1 p.m.
