EAU CLAIRE, Wis.- UW-Oshkosh men's basketball led UW-Eau Claire for the entirety of the second half on Wednesday night (Jan. 21) after the teams traded the lead the lead nine times in the first half. The Titans led by as many as 14 points in Sonnentag Event Center before taking the victory at 79-73.
 
The Titans (14-3, 5-1 WIAC), ranked 16th in NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, started the season series with the Blugolds (13-4, 2-4 WIAC) with a win after Eau Claire won both regular season contests and the WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver's) first round matchup last year.
 
UW-Oshkosh retained the top spot in the WIAC standings with the win as UW-Platteville (13-4, 5-1 WIAC), who the Titans beat in Oshkosh on January 14, won in Whitewater by a score of 70-60.
 
Five of the 13 Titans that saw action on Wednesday scored double-digit points. Michael Metcalf-Grassman (Shawano/Waukesha/Shawano Community) went 4 of 6 from the field, including a 3-pointer, and 5 of 6 from the line for 14 points and stole a game-high three possessions. Joey LaChapell (Appleton/Appleton East) and Aiden Hawkinson (Waupun/Waupun) both scored 12 points. LaChapell, the WIAC leader in free throw percentage (91.1 percent), made both of his attempts from the line and recorded five assists. Hawkinson shared Oshkosh's rebounding lead with Jonah Rindfleisch (Milwaukee/Wisconsin Lutheran) at four rebounds. Oshkosh's fourth and fifth double-digit scorers were Brandon Beck (Rockton, Ill./Hillcrest Prep (Ariz.)) and Carter Thomas (Neenah/Neenah) with 11 points apiece.
 
Four Blugolds reached double-digit scoring, led by Kenji Scales' 18 points. Xavier Lewis and Carter Lichtsinn each pulled down seven rebounds while Lichtsinn and Roan Demovsky dished out four assists apiece.
 
UW-Oshkosh, which entered the game ranked third in Division III in 3-point attempts per game (34.8) and sixth in 3-point field goals per game (11.8), shot 42.4 percent (14-for-33) from 3-point range and 50 percent (28-of-56) from the field against the Blugolds' 25 percent (6-for-24) from 3 and 51.8 percent (29-for-56) from the field.
 
Both teams shot season bests at the line; Oshkosh made 9 of 11 attempts (81.8 percent) and Eau Claire made 9 of 10 (90 percent).
 
The Titans led the hosts in steals (10-6), points off turnovers (24-12) and bench points (28-10). The Blugolds held a 32-24 edge in rebounding, 44-26 in points in the paint and 8-4 in second chance points. Oshkosh and Eau Claire each recorded 16 assists.
 
Metcalf-Grassman answered Lichtsinn's game-opening layup with one of his own and Oskar Kangas (Iron Mountain, Mich./Iron Mountain) put the Titans up for the first time on another layup with 17:33 left in the opening half.
 
The Blugolds swapped the edge with four straight points and Thomas helped the lead change hands again by converting a 3-point attempt after he recorded his first of two steals.
 
Following another Blugold lead, Hawkinson tallied seven consecutive points on his own to make the score 14-8 before the halfway point of the period.
 
The Titans led by a half-high seven points when Thomas made another shot from behind the arc.
 
Eau Claire used a 10-0 run tie the score at 20-20 with 7:49 to go and went ahead on a Scales layup.
 
Beck and Metcalf-Grassman brought Oshkosh within a basket twice and Beck's first three put the Titans up for the fourth time.
 
The lead changed hands two more times before halftime.
 
Metcalf-Grassman retied the game at 33-33 with 1:40 on the clock and made two shots at the line for the lead. Vitorio Dante (Castle Rock, Colo./Castle View) scored the final basket of the half at 0:34 with his own free throw, sending the teams to their locker rooms with the score at 36-33.
 
UW-Eau Claire opened the second half by pulling within a point but never got back within a point down the stretch.
 
Oshkosh used runs of up to 10 points to hold of the Blugolds, who climbed back within five points as late as five ticks left. The Titans meanwhile pushed their lead to 14 points twice: Metcalf-Grassman capped off a 5-0 spurt to make the score 51-37 at 16:20 and Nate Nazos (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) followed a Beck 3-pointer with one of his own at 12:51.
 
After the Blugolds made the layup with five seconds left in regulation, Metcalf-Grassman punctuated the win with a free throw two seconds later.
 
The Titans will host UW-Stout in Kolf Sports Center on Saturday (Jan. 21) at 5 p.m. for Alumni Night and the 10-year reunion of the 2016 NCAA Tournament team which reached the national tournament for the first time since 2003 by winning the WIAC Tournament. The appearance started a string of seven straight NCAA Championship runs that featured two trips to the national title game and the 2019 Division III title.
 
Since the 1985-86 season, Oshkosh is 53-27 against the Blue Devils. The Titans ended a 3-game skid in last season's second game between the programs with a 75-51 win at home on February 22, 2025.