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UW-Stout 57, UW-Oshkosh 52 |
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MENOMONIE (February 8, 2013) - Seniors
Alex Oman (Lake Elmo, Minn.) and
Jay Higgins (Maple Grove, Minn.) came up big for the Blue Devils on Senior night, combining to score 22 of Stout's 31 second half points to lead the team to a 57-52 victory over Oshkosh.
Oman finished with a game-high 18 points, including the eventual game winner with the score tied at 51. As the game clock dropped below a minute remaining, Oman's step back jumper from the left wing gave Stout a 53-51 lead. Oman also added 5 rebounds for the Blue Devils.
On the very next possession, a block by
Jimmy Whitehead (Sr, La Crosse) and rebound by
Debonair Townsend (Sr, Milwaukee) got the ball back for Stout. After an Oshkosh timeout, a foul sent
Hank Kujak to the line, where he hit one of two to put Stout up 54-51 with just 33 seconds to go.
Another blocked shot by Whitehead followed by an offensive board gave the Titans another shot, but a three-point attempt by Jade Royston was no good and Oman came down with the rebound.
Rather than waiting to be fouled, Oman pushed the ball up the floor to
Adam Wadzinski (Sr, Verona), who found Townsend streaking down the middle of the lane for an emphatic dunk to push the lead to five, 56-51 with only nine seconds left in regulation.
A foul by Whitehead gave Taylor Jansen two shots at the line. Jansen connected on the second, but that would be it for the Titans as Oman would hit 1-2 free throws on the next possession to seal the win for Stout.
Higgins scored 13 points while grabbing a game-high 8 rebounds for the Blue Devils, shooting 6-8 from the field.
In a tightly contested game that featured 12 ties and 20 lead changes, neither team looked to have an edge. The Blue Devils largest lead of the game came with 15:45 to go in the first, when Stout led 5-0.
Both teams got off to a slow start, with each missing their first three shots before a
Josh Kosloske (Sr, Oakfield) bomb from deep put the Blue Devils on the board. A layup by Whitehead two possessions later gave Stout a 5-0 lead.
A 7-0 Titan run quickly erased the Blue Devil lead and set the stage for the back-and-forth affair the game would become. Another 7-0 run, this time by Stout, gave the Blue Devils the lead again, 12-7 with 12:00 to go in the first.
Not to be outdone, the Titans put together a 6-0 run of their own to take the lead back, 13-12. Both teams would continue to trade baskets for the rest of the half, as neither team would lead by more than three points. A three-pointer by Royston with 41 seconds to go in the first gave the Titans a 27-26 advantage at the break.
The second half featured much of the same, as the teams continued to go back-and-forth, with neither team going up by more than three points until the final minute.
The Blue Devils shot 48.9 percent (23-47) compared to just 32.1 percent (17-53) for Oshkosh. Stout also controlled the glass, grabbing 36 boards to 33 for the Titans.
For the Titans, Max Schebel had 16 points while Royston finished with 13. Dylan Wurtz added 7 rebounds for Oshkosh.
Defensively, the Blue Devils blocked nine shots, including 3 each by Townsend and Oman, while Whitehead had 2. Townsend had 8 points and four rebounds as well for the Blue Devils.
Up next, the Blue Devils will host UW-Superior at Johnson Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. before heading back on the road for a match-up against UW-Platteville on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m.
