The UW Oshkosh men’s basketball team swept UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout this week in two contested games at home and away.
The Titans (17-6, 8-4 WIAC) earned an 84-75 win over the Blugolds (14-8, 3-8 WIAC) on Feb. 11 at the Kolf Sports Center.
After Andre Renta knocked down a 3-pointer for the Blugolds, Eau Claire took a 13-8 lead and later built it to a game-high 18-11 advantage over the Titans with 10:04 remaining in the first half. Oshkosh slowly chipped away at the deficit, taking a 22-20 lead on a 3-pointer by Aiden Hawkinson. UWO carried a 42-36 lead into halftime.
Eau Claire kept the game close in the second half, and Oshkosh held a slim 64-62 lead with 6:02 remaining. Oshkosh then went on a decisive 14-0 run to help secure the victory.
Hawkinson led the way for Oshkosh, shooting 7-for-13 from the field, including five 3-pointers and finishing with a career-high 21 points. Joey LaChapell added 17 points, going 5-for-8 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line. UWO Michael Metcalf-Grassman scored 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting and grabbed three rebounds. Carter Thomas went 6-for-6 from the line, recorded one block and finished with 8 points. Matt Imig and Vittorio Dante each contributed 7 points and five rebounds, while Oskar Kangas pulled down eight rebounds.
The Titans stepped up in the absence of Brandon Beck, who is averaging 15.9 points per game this season.
Thomas said the performance highlighted the team’s resilience.
“It shows a lot about what kind of players we have,” Thomas said. “For teams to be able to push through tough stretches and figure out a way to win games is important as you progress through a season. All of our guys definitely illustrated this during that game.”
A major part of the success has been the development of young contributors.
“Being able to see confidence in younger guys to go out there and make plays is fun to watch,” Thomas said. “Guys have been doing it all year, and Aiden is a prime example of it recently.”
Oshkosh held advantages in bench points (45-29), steals (7-4), fast-break points (11-2) and rebounds (38-31).
The Titans shot 26-for-56 from the field and 10-for-31 from 3-point range.
Oshkosh won a dramatic comeback thriller against Stout 68-67 on Saturday to complete a mini home sweep this past week to improve to 8-4 in WIAC play and remained tied for first place in the conference standings.
UWO had to claw back from multiple deficits throughout the night. Oshkosh trailed 39-29 at halftime and fell behind 41-29 with under 19 minutes remaining in the second half. The Blue Devils later extended their lead to 57-46 with less than 10 minutes to play before the Titans began chipping away.
The game featured 10 lead changes down the stretch. In the final minute, Stout’s Collin Vick hit two free throws to put the Blue Devils up by three. LaChapell answered with a layup, and after UWS’ Doma Schwarzenberger scored twice inside to give Stout a 67-64 advantage, LaChapell knocked down a clutch jumper to keep Oshkosh within one possession. Missed free throws by Stout in the closing seconds opened the door for the Titans’ final opportunity.
Down 67-66 with one second remaining and the Titans trailing by one, Metcalf-Grassman drove to the basket and converted a buzzer-beating layup off an assist from Thomas to seal the win.
Thomas said the offensive strategy was always going to be to attack the rim.
“I was just worried about putting it in a spot where Michael would be in a position to go get it and score right away,” Thomas said. “I was thankful that he got open the way he did, so I just had to make sure it got on target, and thankfully it did.”
The play capped a frantic final sequence in which Jonah Rindfleisch came up with a steal after missing two free throws with four seconds left, giving Oshkosh one last chance to draw up the game-winning play out of a timeout.
Thomas led Oshkosh with 16 points, shooting 4-for-6 from the field, hitting three 3-pointers, and going 5-for-6 from the free-throw line. Metcalf-Grassman finished with 11 points on 4-for-10 shooting and grabbed six rebounds to go along with his game-winner. Hawkinson added 11 points and four rebounds, while Kangas totaled 7 points and five rebounds. Rindfleisch contributed eight rebounds, 5 points and three assists.
Despite shooting 23-for-68 from the field and 7-for-26 from 3-point range, the Titans controlled key areas. Oshkosh held advantages in points in the paint (34-20), second-chance points (17-11) and rebounds (43-38); however, they had fewer bench points (30-37) and steals (5-13). The Titans committed 16 turnovers compared to eight for UW-Stout, but overcame the miscues with timely stops and late-game execution to secure the comeback win.
Oshkosh travels to UW-La Crosse on Wednesday, you can find the score of that game at uwoshkoshtitans.com/.
