Titans reach title game

SALEM, Va. - UW-Oshkosh enjoyed its first trip to the NCAA Division III Final Four so much that it decided to hang around another day.

Led by sophomore Adam Fravert’s 21 points and 13 rebounds, the Titans closed the game on a 16-5 run to top New Jersey’s Ramapo College, 73-57, in the first national semifinal game Friday night at the Salem Civic Center.

Oshkosh advances to the championship game at 5 p.m. Saturday against Nebraska Wesleyan. It will be the first national title for whichever team wins.

“We had a vision six years ago of being in this moment, on this stage,” said Pat Juckem, in his sixth season as the Titans’ coach. “A lot of guys worked awfully hard to help build this to where we’re at.”

The win Friday was Juckem’s 200th as a head coach. He had 105 at Iowa’s Coe College before coming to Oshkosh. The win over Ramapo was the Titans’ 25th this season.

He got some help with No. 200 from four players who scored in double figures. In addition to Fravert, junior Brett Wittchow finished with 18 points, junior Ben Boots added 13, with 10 coming in the second half, and sophomore Jack Flynn had 11 points and nine rebounds.

“I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing,” Fravert said. “They were doubling Jack a lot and so we had to get it to me a little bit in the post.”

Oshkosh finished with 17 points off eight Ramapo turnovers in the game.