By Kyle Naber, UWEC Sports Information
OSHKOSH, Wis. (Blugolds.com)- The No. 17 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's basketball team was unable to build off a good start as they fell to the UW-Oshkosh 79-66 Saturday night at the Kolf Sports Center in Oshkosh.
Eau Claire looked for revenge after losing by eight in their first match-up. Eau Claire's Josh Weix (So.-Eau Claire, WI/North) and Oshkosh's Brett Wittchow would go toe to toe in a scoring frenzy. By the first half, both were well into double digits.
With just under six minutes remaining in the first half the game was tied up at 19 all. The Blugolds would go on a 9-0 run to take their largest lead of the game. Then it Oshkosh got hot from beyond the arc. The Titans would end up hitting seven straight three-pointers, three of which came before half time.
Eau Claire just could not catch up to the hot-shooting Titans, as they would go on to convert on 17 attempts from beyond the arc, the most in Titan history. The Blugolds did their best to get back into the game, but Oshkosh continued to bury shots. In the second half, the Titans hit 16-25 (64 percent) from the field including 11 of 15 from beyond the arc.
The Blugolds could not match the three-point barrage of Oshkosh, as they were only able to shoot 20 percent compared to Oshkosh, who was over 58 percent. Brett Wittchow led the way for the Titans scoring a career-high 26 points.
Weix matched his career-high with 25 points, on a very efficient 12 of 14 night. Weix also added 15 rebounds to his strong performance. Chris Duff (Jr. – Walker, MN) and Jack Martinek (Sr.- New Brighton, MN/Irondale) followed Weix with 11 points apiece.
Eau Claire (14-5, 4-4 WIAC) will look to turn it around as they take on I-94 rivals UW-Stout on Wednesday, February 1 in Menomonie. Eau Claire defeated the Blue Devils in their last match-up 80-62.
Follow the action on Blugold Game Day.
