OSHKOSH, Wis.- UW-Oshkosh men's basketball went on a crucial scoring run midway through the second half and held on for an 88-81 victory over St. Norbert College on Saturday (Dec. 20) in Kolf Sports Center.

Oshkosh (8-2), which is receiving votes in the most recent D3hoops.com poll, clung to a 57-55 lead with 11:50 left in the game before scoring 17 of the next 21 points during a span of just over five minutes for a 74-59 cushion at the 6:45 mark.

St. Norbert (6-3) pulled within 82-77 with just over a minute remaining, but the Titans went 6-for-6 at the free throw line the rest of the way to secure the win.

The Titans, who snapped a two-game losing streak to the Green Knights, have now won 19 of their past 20 nonconference home games in Kolf Sports Center since the 2019-20 campaign. Oshkosh's lone nonconference loss in Kolf Sports Center during that span was a 59-57 setback to St. Norbert on December 20, 2023.

Oshkosh's Joey LaChapell (Appleton/Appleton East) led all players with a season-best 22 points, shooting 8-for-9 from the floor and 5-for-5 from 3-point range while dishing out a team-high six assists.

Carter Thomas (Neenah/Neenah) added 14 points and six rebounds for the Titans, who also received 12 points apiece from Brandon Beck (Rockton, Ill./Hillcrest Prep (Ariz.)) and Michael Metcalf-Grassman (Shawano/Waukesha/Shawano Community), and eight points from both Aiden Hawkinson (Waupun/Waupun) and Matt Imig (Ashwaubenon/Ashwaubenon). Oskar Kangas (Iron Mountain, Mich./Iron Mountain) tied for the team lead with six rebounds off the bench.

The Titans shot 46.2 percent (30-65) from the field, 35.1 percent (13-37) from beyond the arc and 71.4 percent (15-21) at the free throw line while setting season bests in assists and turnovers. Oshkosh held advantages of 23-20 in assists, 5-0 in blocks and 7-4 in steals. Both teams committed just nine turnovers.

Oshkosh has now made 11 or more 3-pointers eight times in 10 games on the year. The Titans entered the contest ranked sixth in the NCAA Division III at 11.8 made 3s per game.

St. Norbert went 29 of 62 (46.8 percent) from the floor, 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) from 3-point range and 15 of 26 (57.7 percent) at the foul line. The Green Knights, who had a 39-37 edge in rebounds, went into the day ranked eighth nationally by allowing 60.9 points per game and committing 9.3 turnovers per contest. St. Norbert ceded its most points in the 58 games since falling, 88-66, to Calvin University (Mich.) on Dec. 16, 2023.

The Green Knights featured four double-digit scorers as Ryan Cox had 18 points, Cam Lathos and Connor Pytleski with 14 apiece, and Will Stuckey with 12. Cox grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds, and Stuckey had a game-best seven assists without committing a turnover.

St. Norbert owned its largest lead of the game at 34-29 following a Cade Uhlenbrauck layup with 5:42 left in the first half. However, Beck drilled a 3-pointer with 33 seconds to go in the opening period for a 49-47 Titan advantage that they would not relinquish.

A Cam Lathos jumper cut the St. Norbert deficit to 57-55 with 11:50 to play before Oshkosh's decisive 17-4 scoring run proved to be the difference. Thomas sparked the run with a 3-pointer before Beck and Imig added 3s of their own. A layup by Metcalf-Grassman extended the Titan lead to 70-58, then back-to-back baskets in the paint from Jonah Rindfleisch (Milwaukee/Wisconsin Lutheran) and Imig closed out the surge for a 74-59 cushion at the 6:45 mark.

Another Lathos jumper pulled the Green Knights within 82-77 with 61 ticks to go, but Thomas, Rindfleisch and Metcalf-Grassman each made a pair of free throws over the final 36 seconds to close out the victory.

The Titans conclude their nonconference slate December 28, hosting Lawrence University at 6 p.m. as part of the UW-Oshkosh BSN Winter Classic in Oshkosh Arena. Oshkosh has won its last seven meetings with Lawrence and owns a 10-4 record in the series since the 2001-02 season.