OSHKOSH, Wis.- Josiah Butler had a game-high 23 points, including the clinching free throws with 3.8 seconds left, to lift UW-Stevens Point to a 71-67 win over UW-Oshkosh in a battle of nationally ranked men's basketball teams during the regular season finale Saturday (Feb. 21) in Kolf Sports Center.
 
Oshkosh (17-8, 8-6 WIAC), ranked 25th in the NCAA Division III by D3hoops.com, trailed by as many as 12 points on two occasions midway through the second half but rallied to reclaim the lead at 67-66 on a Michael Metcalf-Grassman (Shawano/Waukesha/Shawano Community) layup with 40 seconds left.

Nineteenth-ranked Stevens Point (19-6, 9-5 WIAC) got a Butler 3-pointer 10 seconds later as the lead changed for the 11th and final time at 69-67.
 
Butler then corralled the rebound on a missed jumper during the ensuing Titans possession. Butler was fouled with 3.8 ticks remaining and sank a pair of one-and-one bonus free throws to put the game out of reach.
 
With the win, Stevens Point earned the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye at the WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver's) that begins Tuesday (Feb. 24). The Pointers won a three-way tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed with 21st-ranked UW-La Crosse (19-6, 9-5 WIAC) and UW-Platteville (17-8, 9-5 WIAC).
 
Oshkosh will be the No. 5 seed, travelling to No. 4 seed Platteville for a 7 p.m. tip Tuesday. Tuesday's other first-round matchup features No. 3 seed La Crosse hosting No. 6 seed UW-Stout (9-16, 5-9 WIAC).
 
League outright champion UW-Whitewater (19-6, 10-4 WIAC) will be the No. 1 seed and host the lowest remaining seed on Thursday (Feb. 26) while Stevens Point will host the highest remaining seed. The WIAC Tournament championship game, which determines the league's automatic berth into the 64-team NCAA Division III Championship, will be contested Saturday (Feb. 28) at the best remaining seed.
 
Butler went 9-for-15 from the field, 3-for-4 at the free throw line and collected seven rebounds for the Pointers, who also received 13 points off the bench from Isaiah Moore and 10 points from Logan Baumgartner. Carter Combs led Stevens Point with eight rebounds.

Stevens Point shot 52.8 percent (28-53) from the floor, 26.7 percent (4-15) from 3-point range and 78.6 percent (11-14) at the foul line. The Pointers held a 35-31 rebounding advantage. Both teams blocked three shots.
 
Metcalf-Grassman and Carter Thomas (Neenah/Neenah) paced the Titans with 22 points apiece while Joey LaChapell (Appleton/Appleton East) added 11 points and a game-best six assists. Metcalf-Grassman and Nate Nazos (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) led the squad with five rebounds and three steals, respectively. Thomas shot 4-for-8 from 3-point range and 8-for-8 at the free throw line.
 
Oshkosh went 21-for-60 (35 percent) from the field, 8-for-29 (27.6 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc and 17-for-20 (85 percent) at the charity stripe. The Titans owned advantages of 11-9 in assists, 8-10 in turnovers and 7-2 in steals.
 
The first half featured seven lead changes and three ties. Neither team led by more than six points during the opening period as Metcalf-Grassman completed a three-point play for a 37-36 Oshkosh edge with five seconds to go before Butler went the length of the floor for a layup at the buzzer and a 38-37 Pointers lead.
 
Another Butler layup extended the Stevens Point cushion to 59-47 with 9:52 left in the game. The Pointers later matched their largest lead of 12 points at 61-49 following a pair of Moore free throws at the 9:04 mark.
 
The Titans responded with an 11-1 scoring run to cut their deficit to 62-60 after two Thomas free throws with 4:16 to play. Another Metcalf-Grassman three-point play pulled Oshkosh within 66-65 with 1:41 left. Stevens Point had four consecutive empty possessions on three missed field goals and a turnover until Butler's go-ahead 3-pointer with 30 seconds to go.

Metcalf-Grassman and Carter combined to score each of Oshkosh's last 18 points of the game, including 11 by Metcalf-Grassman, over the final nine minutes.