After a loss to No. 12 Saint John’s University (Minnesota) to start the year, the UW Oshkosh men’s basketball team picked up two wins
last weekend against No. 9 Calvin University (Michigan) and Manchester University (Indiana), improving its record to 2-1.
UWO’s Michael Metcalf-Grassman led the team in scoring in both games after putting up 23 points against Calvin and 29 points against
Manchester to improve his season average to 26.7 per game.
“Michael is a tremendous competitor and player,” UWO head coach Matt Lewis said. “He had a great freshman season, winning WIAC
Newcomer of the year. He invested a ton this off-season.”
After a disappointing 10-15 finish last season, Metcalf-Grassman and crew are looking to see improvement this year.
“I think just gaining a year of experience and being more familiar with my teammates has helped so far,” Grassman said. “I think our pace
this year is much faster, which has helped us a lot offensively.”
The Titans defeated Calvin 75-67 Nov. 15 and Oshkosh led in points off turnovers, second chance points and shooting percentage.
UWO took down Manchester the next day 90-84 in a game where Oshkosh had trailed by as many as 18 points, but a second half surge
saw the Titans outscore Manchester 62-46.
“The guys continued to believe no matter the score,” Lewis said. “Every guy believed we would come back. That belief was the biggest
difference from half to half.”
Grassman credited his teammates for their defense and their staunch efforts on the boards, which led to them out rebounding both
opponents.
“We have been defending very well as a team and getting key stops,” Grassman said. “Our rebounding, especially in the second game this
weekend, has been a big difference maker. We are a very young team, so the more we play together and get used to each other, the better
we are going to get. I’m very excited for the rest of the year.
Oshkosh also had a lot of help from its bench in both games, scoring 23 points against Manchester and 11 points against Calvin.
“Many guys have contributed off the bench, not just in scoring the ball,” Lewis said. “We love our depth and the selfless approach from the
entire team.”
The Titans hosted Carroll University Nov. 20. Because the game finished past press time, you can find the score at uwoshkoshtitans.com.
UWO will take on North Park University (Illinois) Nov. 23 at 4 p.m. in Chicago.
