Box Score Oshkosh, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's basketball team fell 80-69 at UW-Oshkosh Wednesday night in Kolf Sports Center. The Eagles, playing their first Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) road game of the season, drops to 8-6 overall and 2-1 in the WIAC. The Titans improve to 9-5 overall and 2-1 in the conference.
UWL led by as many as five points in the first half at 24-19 with 6:37 remaining on a
Jared Staege layup. UW-Oshkosh took its first lead of the game at 27-24 on Ben Boots' three-point field goal with 4:40 left. The Eagles cut the lead to 31-30 with 1:39 left in the first half on a
Brendon Manning layup, but the Titans scored the final five points of the half on a Alex Olson layup and Boots' three-pointer to make it 36-30 at intermission.
UW-Oshkosh opened the second half scoring the first four points to lead 40-30. UWL cut the margin to 42-38 with 17:09 left on a pair of
Devin Yurk free throws, but the Eagles would get no closer the rest of the game. The Titans used a 10-0 run to lead 52-38 after a Olson three.
Ben Meinholz hit a jumper with 10:37 left in the game for UWL to cut it to 57-50, but a Charlie Noone three-point field goal made it 60-50. The Eagles got it to within 64-55 before the Titans went on a 9-2 run to lead 73-57. UW-Oshkosh led by as many as 17 in the second half.
UWL shot 49.1% from the field Wednesday, incuding 18.8% (three-of-16) from three-point range, and 85.7% (12-of-14) at the free throw line. Staege led the Eagles with a career-high 26 points, finishing 10-of-15 from the field and six-of-six at the line. He also finished with a team-high six rebounds. Yurk finished with 14 points for UWL while Meinholz totaled nine.
UW-Oshkosh shot 52.2% from the field, including 52.4% (11-of-21) from three-point range, and 75.0% (21-of-28) at the line. Boots led the Titans with 26 points, going six-of-eight from the field, incuding five-of-six from three-point. He was also nine-of-10 at the free throw line. Noone finished with 17 points while Olson totaled 12.
UWL returns to action Saturday, January 16 hosting 14th-ranked UW-Whitewater at 5 p.m.
