BLOOMINGTON, Ill.- UW-Oshkosh men's basketball defeated Maryville College (Tenn.), 94-91, in the first day of the Illinois Wesleyan University Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational on Friday (Nov. 14) with five Titans scoring in double-digits and a team shooting percentage from the field of 53.4 percent.
The Titans (2-0) made 31 of their 58 attempts from the field, including 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from three, and 80.8 percent (21-of-26) from the line in the win over the
No. 21 nationally ranked Scots and led 35-27 in rebounds, 10-9 in steals, and 3-1 in blocks. The programs were within a pair of points in points in the paint, off turnovers, and on second chances, however 53 Oshkosh points came off the bench against Maryville's 13.
Brandon Beck (Rockton, Ill./Hillcrest Prep (Ariz.)) paced the Titans' scoring efforts again by tallying 16 points on 4-of-6 from the field, 2-of-3 from three, and 6-of-6 from the line. Right behind him was
Joey LaChapell (Appleton/Appleton East), who sank every shot he put up for 13 points. LaChapell made four field goals, one three, and four free throws.
Reserve players
Matt Imig (Ashwaubenon/Ashwaubenon),
Jay Dalton (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac), and
Oskar Kangas (Iron Mountain, Mich./Iron Mountain) rounded out Oshkosh's double-digit scorers with 12, 10, and 10 points, respectively.
Carter Thomas (Neenah/Neenah) pulled down a team-high six rebounds to go with a matching six points and Imig dished out four assists while
Jonah Rindfleisch's (Milwaukee/Wisconsin Lutheran) two blocks and
Nate Nazos' (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) three steals marked additional team bests.
The Titans built a lead early in the first half as the teams traded baskets by holding the Scots without a three-pointer through the first 10 minutes of play, owning a nine-point spread when Dalton converted a layup.
Maryville got withing three points twice, eventually tying the score at 33-33 with 3:17 left in the period.
AJ Ohrmundt (Hartland/Arrowhead Union) broke the tie with a tip-in layup and
Logan Rindfleisch (Milwaukee/Wisconsin Lutheran) made a free throw before the Scots scored their final points of the half with a jumper.
Kangas sank a three and Jonah Rinsfleisch made a layup to create a 41-35 Oshkosh lead headed into the half.
Oshkosh and Maryville traded the first five baskets of the second half. The Scots used two threes and a 5-0 spurt to tie the game three times before taking their first lead in 23 minutes on a layup at 14:44.
The lead swapped nine more times and the score was tied four more times down the stretch.
Maryville gained its largest edge at 59-54 by scoring on a three and a layup, but the Titans responded with a 4-0 streak and knotted up the board a trio of times until
Vitorio Dante (Castle Rock, Colo./Castle View) handed Oshkosh a 73-72 lead with 6:46 to play with a three-pointer.
The Titans added four points on free throws after Dante's basket and LaChapell registered a pair of free throws and a three-pointer in seven seconds to swap the lead for the final time.
While Oshkosh didn't score more than four consecutive points in the last four minutes, it held the Scots to just one run of more than three points.
The Titans will face either Illinois Wesleyan (1-0) on Saturday (Nov. 15) at 4 p.m. in the championship game of the Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational.
