UW-Whitewater remained unbeaten in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, barely, with a 62-58 overtime win over UW-Oshkosh Wednesday night at Kachel Gym in Williams Center.

box score

Whitewater led 39-28 with 12:51 in the second half.  Oshkosh whittled away the lead until senior forward D.J. Marsh hit a jumper with 0:30 left to give the Titans a 52-51 lead.  Senior center Dustin Mitchell (Lac Du Flambeau/Lakeland) made the first of two free throws to tie the game 52-52 with 0:11 remaining, and Mike Bendall (Oconomowoc/Oconomowoc) grabbed the offensive rebound to give UW-W the last shot in regulation, which missed to send the game into OT.

Defense dominated for the first two minutes of the extra period before Cory Wittwer hit two free throws to put UW-O up 54-52.  Whitewater's Dupree Fletcher (Milwaukee/Rufus King) made an old school three point play, layup and free throw, to make it 55-54 at 2:00.  After defenses clamped down again UW-W made seven free throws in the last 1:17 for the win.

Whitewater led 23-19 at the half, with Oshkosh shooting 28% from the field and Whitewater 48%, but the Warhawks took just 21 shots from the field.  Oshkosh missed as many shots as UW-W took in the first half.

Whitewater found its winning margin at the free throw line, hitting 12-18 to 7-10 for Oshkosh, even though Oshkosh won the battle on the boards 36-29, including 17 offensive rebounds for the Titans.

Mitchell led UW-W with 25 points and 12 rebounds, hitting of 11-13 shots from the floor.  Mitchell has scored in double figures in every game this season and has seven double doubles.  Senior point guard
Phil Negri (Minocqua/Lakeland) out-assisted the entire Oshkosh team, with nine, one short of his season high. 

Marsh, the WIAC Co-Player of the Year last season, topped both teams in scoring, 26, and rebounding, 11.  

UW-W, 14-1 overall and ranked fourth in the D3hoops.com poll, remained unbeaten at 6-0 in the WIAC.  Oshkosh is 6-8 and 1-5.

Whitewater will play at UW-Eau Claire Saturday.  The next home game will be January 30 at 6:00 versus UW-Stout.

For more information:  Pat Miller, UW-W coach