Just four days after they could have taken over third place in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, the UWS men’s basketball team faces a harsh reality; win or go home. On February 13, the ‘Jackets could have kept pace with a win against UW-Oshkosh, and could have been in a three way tie for fourth place. They didn’t do it, losing the game 68-61, and are now in a tie for the sixth and final WIAC playoff spot.

The men had a similar game against UW-Oshkosh as they had against UW-Stout on February 10. The ‘Jackets led almost the entire first half, and went into halftime with a 31-28 lead, with Dan Culy leading the way with 12 points for the Yellowjackets.

They were able to hold their lead until 7:00 minutes to go in the game, when Titan forward D.J. Marsh was successful on a three-point play, and gave Oshkosh a 53-52 lead, which they never let go.

Marsh led the Titans on their comeback, scoring 24 of his 30 points in the second half.  The Titans extended their lead in the rest of the half, and ended up winning the game 68-61.

After shooting 50% in the first half, the ‘Jackets were only able to muster up 9 field goals in the second half, and were outshot in the game 49% - 46.7%.  UWS was also dominated by UW-Oshkosh on the boards in the game, losing that battle 33-19.  They allowed 15 offensive rebounds to the Titans, which led to 12 second-chance points.

Culy ended with a team high 20 points on 5-7 shooting, with all 5 field goals being three pointers. This keeps him well on pace for getting 1,000 career points in the next two games.  With 986 points, he now needs only 14 points to reach that milestone.

Jake Smith was the only other player to score in double digits for the ‘Jackets, with 15.

This brings UWS’ record to 13-10 overall, and 6-8 in the WIAC, which is tied for sixth in the conference with UW-Eau Claire, who they face on Wednesday in Eau Claire.  This is by far the biggest game of the year, with their postseason hopes on the line.  With only six teams making the conference tournament, this is a win or go home scenario for the Yellowjackets.