OSHKOSH, Wisconsin – The Ripon men's basketball program shot over 50% from the field in the first half and led UW-Oshkosh by as many as nine, but the Titans proved to be too much at home and defeated the Red Hawks 84-60 on Monday night inside the Kolf Sports Center.
 
Oshkosh (6-2) shot 56.0% from the field and 53.3% from three-point range in the second half, outscoring Ripon (2-10) by 23 in the final 20 minutes.
 
STANDOUT HAWKS

• Senior guard Cade Tackmier scored a team-high 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting with a pair of triples. He also grabbed 3 rebounds.
• Junior forward Jayden Fitch scored 10 points in 21 minutes off the bench, collecting 5 rebounds.
• Sophomore forward Kolby Williams netted 9 points and 4 rebounds.
• Junior guard Luke Meinholz, fresh off another Midwest Conference Performer of the Week award, tallied 8 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists as he continues to lead the country in helpers.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Neither team was able to gain separation at the onset, as the biggest lead on either side was four in the first 9+ minutes. Trailing 18-16, a critical 11-0 Ripon run over a nearly three-minute span put the Red Hawks up 27-18, prompting an Oshkosh timeout. The Titans recovered, going on an 8-0 run to lead 36-31 with 1:46 left in the half. However, Tackmier and Fitch ended the frame with a pair of baskets as Ripon trailed by just one at the break.
 
Oshkosh raced out of the gate in the second half, blitzing Ripon with a 16-0 run over the first three and a half minutes before Williams banked in a triple. From there, 13 would be the closest Ripon would get as Oshkosh held the Red Hawks to just 25 points and 34.5% shooting in the second half. The Titans finished the game on an 11-4 run to claim the non-conference victory.
 
KEY STATS

• Oshkosh had a slight shooting advantage from the field, going 25 of 51 (49.0%) compared to Ripon's 43.3% (26 of 60).
• Ripon scored 32 of its points inside the paint, giving up just 14 points in the paint to the Titans.
• Ripon got 38 points from its bench, while Oshkosh got 22.
• Oshkosh shot 21 free throws and made 17, while Ripon was just 2 of 5 from the charity stripe.
• Carter Thomas had a game-high 29 points for Oshkosh, making seven three-pointers.

UP NEXT
Ripon takes its Christmas break and will return to the court on Saturday (December 30) for an exhibition at Division II Northern Michigan. Tip-off from Marquette is scheduled for 2 p.m. central.
 
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