ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Defending national champion UW-Oshkosh came calling to Carver Center Saturday to open the 2019-20 season and handed Augustana a 74-67 defeat. The Titans, ranked second in the D3hoops preseason poll, put five players in double figures, while the Vikings, rated 17th, were led by a game-high 17 points from junior Jarrett Tribble (Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Homewood, Ill.).
 
Senior Pierson Wofford (Springfield Lutheran HS, Springfield., Ill.) drove the lane twice for baskets and freshman Jack McDonald (Geneva HS, Geneva, Ill.) once as the hosts jumped on top 6-0 in the first three minutes. Preseason All-American Adam Fravert scored five points and David Vlotho six as UWO answered with a 13-0 run.
 
An Eric Peterson three-pointer gave the Titans their biggest lead of the first half at 18-8 before Augustana scored eight straight points to pull within one (23-22) on a Tribble drive through the lane. Oshkosh countered with an 8-0 run of its own to go up 31-22 with 2:50 left in the half, but junior Jack Jelen (Bay HS, Bay Village, Ohio) and sophomore Justin Bottorff (Quincy Notre Dame HS, Quincy, Ill.) hit the Vikings' only two treys of the half to cut the deficit to 31-28 at the break.
 
Augustana achieved one final tie at 34-all when Tribble sliced through the paint for another bucket with 17:14 to play, but again UWO responded, getting a pair of Will Mahoney three-pointers in a 13-0 run that gave the Titans their biggest lead of the night at 47-34.
 
The game of runs continued, as the Vikings scored 11 of the next 13 points. A Carson Frakes (Rockridge HS, Illinois City, Ill.) layup with 12:26 to play drew them within 49-45, but again Oshkosh had an answer, building the margin back to 12 points and it wouldn't fall below seven the rest of the way.
 
Tribble shot 6-of-7 from the field, hit his only three-point attempt and was 4-for-4 from the foul line. McDonald added 11 points in his collegiate debut and Frakes finished with 10. Wofford, senior Roman Youngblut (Assumption HS, Davenport, Iowa) and freshman Daniel Carr (Regis Jesuit HS, Highlands Ranch, Colo.) led the way on the boards with six apiece. Jelen finished with a game-high four assists.
 
Fravert and preseason first team All-American Jack Flynn led UWO with 14 points each. Peterson added a dozen and Vlotho and Mahoney 11 each. Fravert snared a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
Augustana finished the night 25 of 58 (.431) from the floor, four of 16 (.250) from three-point range and 13 of 22 (.591) from the free throw line. Oshkosh shot .448 on 26 of 58 field goal attempts, .423 (11-26) from beyond the arc and .458 (11-24) from the foul line. The Titans won the battle of the boards by the slimmest of margins (41-40) and committed 12 turnovers to the Vikings' 13.
 
Coach Grey Giovanine's outfit will be back in action at Carver Center on Friday, November 15, hosting Alma at 7:00 p.m.