CHICAGO- The UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team earned a decisive 87-71 victory over North Park University in their first road game on Saturday (Nov. 23). The Titans pulled away in the second half, securing their fourth win of the season.
 
UW-Oshkosh (4-1) shot an efficient 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the field while holding North Park (1-3) to 35.3 percent (24-of-68). The Titans capitalized on their dominance in the paint, scoring 40 of their 87 points down low and securing 42 rebounds to North Park's 35.
 
Michael Metcalf-Grassman (So. • Shawano/Waukesha) led the Titans with 28 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Brandon Beck (Fr. • Rockton, Ill.) added 22 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Jonah Rindfleisch (Sr. • Milwaukee) contributed nine points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Vikings scored the first four points of the game and led until Beck made his first 3-pointer of the night to make the score 7-6 Oshkosh for the first lead change. North Park quickly answered and led by as much as six points multiple times. Rindfleisch started a Titan run with a pair of free throws, followed by a Metcalf-Grassman three and two converted free throw attempts by Carter Thomas (Jr. • Neenah) put Oshkosh up 21-20 with 7:41 remaining in the period. The lead changed four more times, and the Titans increased their edge to seven points when Max Tutas (So. • Sheboygan) made a layup at 2:42. The Vikings fought back to down a point before Rindfleisch made two from the charity stripe on a foul at the buzzer.
 
The Titans held a slim 42-39 lead at halftime before surging ahead in the second half. UW-Oshkosh opened the final period with a 12-3 run, including the first eight points, fueled by Metcalf-Grassman's scoring and Rindfleisch's rebounding dominance. Metcalf-Grassman scored half of the Titans' points in the spurt and Rindfleisch tallied six rebounds. A balanced effort in scoring and defensive pressure helped the Titans maintain control for the rest of the game. Beck made the score 54-41 just over four minutes into the half, putting Oshkosh up 13 points, the largest lead of the game. While North Park kept the game competitive and even went on a 7-0 run they could stop the Titans from scoring and putting up the final six points of the game.
 
North Park was led by Rico Powell, who matched Metcalf-Grassman with 28 points and added 14 rebounds. Despite Powell's efforts, the Vikings struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 17.9% (5-of-28).
 
UW-Oshkosh will next take on Edgewood College at home on Wednesday (Nov. 27).