Oilers Season Ended By Lakers, 68-56

The University of Findlay men's basketball team fell in the opening round of the 2010 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament, 68-56 to Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) foe Grand Valley State University on Saturday, March 13 in Owensboro, Kentucky.

The Oilers jumped out to an 11-1 lead at the 15:11 mark and were leading 17-6 with just over 12 minutes to play in the first half before the Lakers mounted a comeback in the form of a 16-0 run to take a 22-17 lead with 6:11 left.

Down five, the Oilers finally got a shot to go down as junior guard Nathan Hyde stopped the bleeding by draining a three pointer with just under six minutes remaining in the first period.

Grand Valley State then went on another run, this time the 8-2 variety before Hyde again snapped the streak with a triple with only 1:21 showing on the first half clock. Junior forward Michael Agunga then connected on a lay-up after a turnover to make the score 30-27 at the break.

In the second half, the Lakers built a 45-38 advantage with 11:44 to play before junior center Jason Wehri made a pair of free throws to cut the lead to five. The deficit was short-lived however as the Lakers scored to push the lead back to seven.

The Lakers lead would then remain around seven points until Grand Valley State's Wes Trammell buried a triple, which was followed by another triple by Alvin Storrs.

With Grand Valley State holding a 61-49 advantage with under five minutes to play, the Oilers simply could not climb back into the game as they ended their season with a 24-7 record.

As a team, the Oilers shot only 34.0 percent (17-of-50) from the floor in the loss and were led by senior guard Marcus Parker who had 15 points.

Hyde added 14 points, freshman guard Aaron Robinson chipped in ten points, seven rebounds and four assists while junior forward Tyler Sparks tallied ten points and nine rebounds.

The Lakers, who had 14 offensive rebounds in the game, were led by Storrs' 14 points.

Nick West added 13 points and seven rebounds while Toreau Brown had 13 points and six boards.