Green Knights Trip UW-Oshkosh

From Sports Information Director, November 15, 2008 | Men's Basketball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

OSHKOSH - St. Norbert College led from nearly start to finish en route to posting a 66-62 season-opening win over UW-Oshkosh at Kolf Sports Center.

The Green Knights defeated the Titans for the first time since Dec. 3, 1991, ending a 10-game losing streak in the series. It was also the first win for St. Norbert over a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball foe since a 47-43 win over UW-La Crosse on Jan. 2, 1996. The Green Knights claimed their first road win over a WIAC opponent since a 93-82 win over UW-Oshkosh on Dec. 3, 1985.

St. Norbert led virtually start to finish. The Titans scored the first basket of the game and then led 4-3, but the Green Knights pulled ahead on a Paul Mallers jumper for a 5-4 advantage and never trailed the rest of the way.

The Green Knights led 19-15 with 12:07 left in the first half before going on a 10-3 run over the next 3 minutes to take a 29-18 lead with 8:55 to go when Dave Wipperfurth canned a 3-pointer. St. Norbert led 34-25 late in the first half before Oshkosh scored the last four points of the half to trail 34-29 at the break.

St. Norbert held off a charging Oshkosh squad, which pulled to within 50-49 with 8:33 left on a Matt Miller 3-pointer. Mallers answered with a 3-pointer to push the Green Knights ahead by four, but John Henney scored to make it a 53-51 game with 7:33 left.

Bryan Fleischmann and Mike Dowden gave St. Norbert some breathing room to make it 59-51 with 6:01 to go, but Oshkosh got back to within three at 59-53 with 3:38 left. Dowden buried a deep 3-pointer with 3:03 left for a 62-56 lead, St. Norbert's last made field goal of the game.

Oshkosh cut it to 62-60 with 1:29 left, and following a St. Norbert turnover the Green Knights got a defensive stop. Fleischmann then made two free throws for a 64-60 lead with 13 seconds left. D.J. Marsh scored with 10 seconds left for the Titans, but Fleischmann again made a pair of free throws for the game's final points.

St. Norbert shot 49 percent from the floor, making 25 of 51 shots. The Green Knights canned 12 of 23 3-pointers and had just eight turnovers. Dowden and Fleischmann both had 15 points for St. Norbert, while Mallers added 12.

Oshkosh shot 57.1 percent from the floor, making 24 of 42 shots and was 7-for-15 from beyond the 3-point arc. The Titans were forced into 16 turnovers. Marsh had another standout game for Oshkosh, netting 28 points on 10 of 11 shooting from the floor. Dane Seckar-Anderson added 17 points for the Titans.

St. Norbert returns to action November 21-22 when it faces Loras College and Clarke College at the UW-Platteville Tournament.