UW-Oshkosh Claims Men's Basketball Tournament Crown - Feb 29, 2016

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh claimed the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Men's Basketball Championship (presented by Culver's) with a 66-63 triumph over UW-River Falls at Kolf Sports Center on Feb. 28.

The tournament title for the Titans is the third in program history and first since 2003. UW-Oshkosh also secured the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship with the win.

Charlie Noone (6'1''-G) scored 19 points and Alex Olson (6'1''-G) added 14 as UW-Oshkosh secured a bid into the NCAA postseason for the first time in 13 years and will now play in the 62-team NCAA Division III Championship that begins March 3-4. The Titans will learn their first-round opponent and venue during an online selection show at 11:30 a.m. on Monday (Feb. 29).

In Sunday's championship contest, UW-River Falls (17-11) trailed, 61-52, before consecutive 3-pointers by Garret Pearson (6'5''-F) and Jon Christensen (6'6''-F) cut the Falcons' deficit to 61-58 with 2:40 left. UW-Oshkosh then pushed its lead to 63-58 when Max Schebel (6'5''-F) converted a layup at the 2:18 mark.

After UW-River Falls' Connor Goodwin (6'7''-C) missed the front end of a bonus free throw opportunity with 90 seconds to play, UW-Oshkosh's Taylor Jansen (6'4''-G) pulled down an offensive rebound on the ensuing possession, allowing the Titans to run nearly a minute off the clock.

Following a missed UW-Oshkosh shot, Christensen drove for a layup to cut the Titan lead to 63-60 with 23 ticks left. Noone then drained a pair of free throws to make the score 65-60 with 14 seconds to play.
A 3-pointer by CJ Lewis (6'0''-PG) pulled the Falcons within 65-63 with less than five seconds remaining, and Schebel split a pair of free throws to provide the final score with two seconds left. UW-River Falls' inbound pass was stolen by Kyle Bolger (6'1''-G) beyond half court to end the game.

Noone made five 3-pointers and all four of his free throws, while Olson added five rebounds and four assists. Ben Boots (6'1''-G) and Brett Wittchow (6'4''-G) chipped in eight points apiece and Schebel seven for UW-Oshkosh. Nick Olson (6'6''-C) paced the team with eight rebounds.

Fourth-seeded UW-River Falls outshot second-seeded UW-Oshkosh, 47.1 percent (24-51) to 37.3 percent (22-59), and held advantages in rebounds (36-33) blocks (3-1) and steals (6-4).

UW-Oshkosh drained 10 3-pointers and held a 15-9 advantage in turnovers. The Titans converted 12 of 17 (70.6 percent) shots from the free throw line, while the Falcons made just 6 of 10 (60 percent).

The Titans jumped out to an 8-1 lead and maintained an advantage until UW-River Falls went ahead for the first time at 22-21 with eight minutes to go in the first half.

Alex Olson's layup pushed UW-Oshkosh's lead back to 29-24, but a 3-pointer by Falcon Devin Buckley (6'2''-G) sent the score tied at 32 to intermission.

UW-River Falls took its largest lead of four points at 43-39 on a 3-pointer by Christensen at the 13:55 mark of the second half, but a 3-pointer by Noone gave UW-Oshkosh the lead for good at 46-45 with 10:43 left.

Christensen, the WIAC's leading scorer (17.9) and second-leading rebounder (8.4), led four Falcons in double figures with 19 points while collecting a game-high 10 boards and three steals.

Pearson had 17 points for UW-River Falls, which also received 10 apiece from Grant Erickson and Lewis.
UW-Oshkosh won two of three games against UW-River Falls this season. The Titans won the previous meeting, 65-62, on Feb 20 in Oshkosh, while the Falcons won the WIAC opener, 76-75, in overtime on Jan. 6 in River Falls.

The Titans were making their second straight appearance in the WIAC title game. UW-Whitewater defeated UW-Oshkosh, 71-57, during last year's final in Whitewater.

Courtesy of WIAC

WIAC Tournament Final: UW-Oshkosh - UW-River Falls 66-63
WIAC Tournament Semifinals:
UW-River Falls - UW-La Crosse 72-61
UW-Eau Claire - UW-Oshkosh 66-77