OSHKOSH, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team took to the hardwood for the first time in the 2025-26 campaign at Kolf Sports Center on Saturday (Nov. 8), defeating Saint John's University (Minn.), 90-86. The season-opening win was the Titans' fourth in the last five seasons.
 
Oshkosh (1-0) shot 41.2 percent (26-of-68) from the field, 38.7 percent (12-of-31) from three, and 78.6 percent (22-of-28) from the free throw line. Saint John's (0-1) led in field goal percentage (51.7 percent, 31-of-60), 39-35 in rebounds, and 6-5 in steals while the Titans owned a 15-14 edge in assists and blocked four shots to the Johnnies' two.
 
Forty-six of Saint John's points came in the paint against Oshkosh's 30. The Titans' 17 points off turnovers, 18 second chance points, seven fast break points, and 41 bench points were high totals that Saint John's.
 
Brandon Beck (Rockton, Ill./Hillcrest Prep (Ariz.)) led the way for the Titans, recording 18 points in 21 minutes including four threes. He also collected three rebounds and had two blocks.
 
Joey LaChapell (Appleton/Appleton East) was Oshkosh's top assister with five on the night, as well as 13 points, while going a perfect 8-of-8 at the charity stripe.
 
Four other Titans reached double-digit points: Jay Dalton (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac) and Vitorio Dante (Castle Rock, Colo./Castle View) each scored 11 and Oskar Kangas (Iron Mountain, Mich./Iron Mountain) and Carter Thomas (Neenah/Neenah) each added 10.
 
LaChapell got the scoring going for the Titans in the first half after getting fouled beyond the arc and sinking all three free throws. The Johnnies answered with a 12-7 run to take a narrow 10-12 lead over Oshkosh.
 
UW-Oshkosh then produced a 15-4 streak, gaining a nine point lead at 25-16 with just over 10 minutes to go in the first half. Beck scored six points in the run, followed by three points from LaChapell. Jay Dalton (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac) added two points on a driving layup at 9:31.
 
After a pair of Johnnies threes, Oshkosh tallied five consecutive points to reach a double-digit lead and responded to a pair of free throws with another Dalton layup before a 6-0 run decreased the deficit to 34-30 with 4:48 on the clock.
 
Saint John's outscored the Titans, 15-12, across the remainder of the half and closed the gap to a point headed into halftime.
 
Saint John's went on a 6-5 run, tying the score at 51-51 to start the second half. The Johnnies led by three points twice before the sixth minute of the half, however Beck, Kangas, and Vitorio Dante (Castle Rock, Colo./Castle View) combined for eight points to flip the lead for the final time. Saint John's never scored more than six consecutive points in the last 12 minutes of the contest while Oshkosh marked off a run of seven points between 12:27 and 9:55 to slowly build its edge to as much as 10 points. Fighting off a late 80-80 tie with 3:11 to go, the Titans closed out the game with a 10-6 run to earn their first win of the young season.
 
The Titans are back on the hardwood on Friday (Nov. 14) for a contest against Maryville College (Tenn.) in the ??Illinois Wesleyan University Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational. The game is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Shirk Center.