OSHKOSH, Wis. – The No. 12 ranked Keene State College men's basketball team shot their second lowest percentage from the field on the season while seeing the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh shoot nearly 62 percent in the second half while also making 22 free throws as the host Titans ran away with a 105-76 win over the Owls on Sunday evening at the BSN Winter Classic inside the Oshkosh Arena, home of the Milwaukee Bucks' NBA G-League affiliate Wisconsin Herd.

It was a very tough night for KSC (6-2), who was returning to action for the first time since a 116-81 win at the University of Southern Maine on December 14.  The Owls had one lead in the game – 17-16 with 11:19 left in the first half – but from that point forward saw Oshkosh (8-2) shoot 59 percent (27-46), make 7-of-10 from three-point range, and 28-of-36 at the foul line.  KSC went from ahead by one to down 11 in barely over three minutes and trailed by as many as 15 in the opening half before chipping their deficit to nine (48-39) at the break.  Mitch Shettles provided a lift off the bench with a team-high 11 points (4-8 FG, 1-2 3-PT, 2-2 FT) to keep the Owls in it and Octavio Brito added 10 points (5-9), but KSC was only 2-of-9 from three and had two assists to five turnovers in the first 20 minutes.  Brandon Beck, a 50 percent three-point shooter on the season, lit it up for the home team – receiving votes in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25 poll – in 14 first half minutes off the bench, finishing with 18 points while making all four of his tries from distance.

Beck played just 1:11 in the second half, but it was instead other Titans who more than added to the scoring effort, as Michael Metcalf-Grassman finished with 21 points (6-10 FG, 9-12 FT) in the final 20 minutes alone and Jonah Rindfleisch added 11 (3-3 FG, 1-1 3-PT, 4-6 FT).  KSC was never able to put together much of a threatening run.  Spencer Aronson hit a three with 18:23 to go to make it a 52-44 game, but Metcalf-Grassman scored UWO's next three baskets to make it 58-46 two minutes later.  Down 11, the game got further away from the Owls after a pair of turnovers, a foul, and two technical fouls in a minute span.  Oshkosh made five of their six free throws with 13:51 left as a result to push their lead to 16, and KSC was never able to get enough stops to make much of a dent in the deficit.  Shettles made another three to make it 65-52 with 13:36 left and two free throws by Brito with 8:10 remaining made it 76-61, but Oshkosh scored the next five points.  Wesley Odiase made a triple with 5:13 on the clock to make it 86-70, but the Owls then surrendered nine of the next 10 points.

Keene State's 38 percent (26-for-68) effort from the field was only better than a 34 percent showing from the field in their season-opening 83-78 win at Western New England University.  The Owls were also just 6-of-18 from three, and are 12-for-44 (27 percent) from deep in their two defeats.  They have made double-digit threes in all six of their victories.

Thanks to five double-figure scorers paced by 27 points from Metcalf-Grassman (8-15 FG, 11-14 FT), the Owls are now allowing their opponents to shoot 46 percent from the field on 477 total attempts this season (KSC is shooting 44 percent overall on 576 total field goals).  Joey LaChapell (17 pts., 6-9 FG, 4-4 FT), Carter Thomas (16 pts., 5-9 FG, 1-1 3-PT, 5-6 FT), and Rindfleisch (14 pts., 4-8 FG, 5-8 FT) were other members of UWO to finish in double-figures.  The Titans also had a 46-32 advantage on the boards, the third time on the season KSC has been beaten on the glass by double-digits (minus-21 in their lone previous loss).

Brito finished with 15 points (6-10 FG, 3-4 FT) and five rebounds to lead the Owls.  Shettles added 14 (5-9 FG, 2-3 3-PT, 2-2 FT) and Joshua Williams 10 (4-11 FG), though all three fouled out on a night KSC was called for a season-high 30 fouls, five more than their previous high total.

Oshkosh shot 29 free throws in the second half, making 22, and was 32-of-40 (80 percent) on the night overall (KSC finished 18-of-29).  UWO's 29-point victory was their largest of the season and their second against a ranked team (75-67 over then-No. 9 Calvin University on November 15), though the Titans were coming off a 16-point loss at St. Norbert College (85-69) on December 21.

"We took one on the chin tonight," said Keene State head coach Steve Enright.  "Hopefully we learn from it and can through a better punch tomorrow.  On to La Crosse."

The Owls will tip-off against 20th-ranked University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (8-2) tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 p.m. ET. in their second game of the tournament.  The Eagles defeated Hamline University (Minn.) 70-63 in the day's earlier game.  It will mark KSC's third game against a team from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in the last two seasons, with the Owls downing last year's eventual league champion University of Wisconsin-Platteville 93-75 in South Dakota.  Tomorrow's game will only be accessible to view via live stats due to broadcast licensing rights of the Wisconsin Herd.