There’s not a lot of better ways to end a three-game slide then to beat the No. 3-ranked team in the country.
That’s precisely how the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men’s basketball team ended it’s losing streak on Wednesday night.
A 10-0 run to end the game sealed a 66-61 victory over third-ranked UW-Oshkosh at Mitchell Hall. The Titans (22-2, 12-1 WIAC) were on a 21-game win streak.
The win guarantees the Eagles (16-8, 9-4) the second seed and a first-round bye in the WIAC tournament, which begins Tuesday. Before that, UW-L will end the regular season at 3 p.m. Saturday at UW-Stout.
The top-six teams make the tournament. UW-L will host a semifinal at 7 p.m. Feb. 21.
A win didn’t look very promising for the Eagles, down 61-56 with 2:49 remaining. Of course, a 10-0 run to end the game when you’re down less than 10 kind of changes everything.
It started with a Taulvish McCray layup, followed by free throws, then a layup by Ben Meinholz to put UW-L up 62-61 with 44 seconds left.
UW-O had to foul after that and the Eagles didn’t miss at the line.
Brendon Manning had 14 points, 12 rebounds while Meinholz added 12 points for UW-L, which shot 26 of 62 (41.9%) from the floor and just 3-for-15 from deep.
Josh Dahlke recorded career-highs in points (11) and rebounds (8) off the bench for the Eagles, who finished with a 43-32 rebound advantage.
Adam Fravert scored 21 points, going 5 of 10 from deep, to lead the Titans, which shot 22-for-56 (39.3%) from the field and 9 of 26 from 3.
