Oilers Head to Lake Erie, Wayne State
The University of Findlay men's basketball team will be on the road for a pair of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contests this week. The Oilers will face Lake Erie College on Thursday at 8 pm in Painesville, Ohio and then battle Wayne State University on Saturday at 3 pm in Detroit, Michigan.
Sights and Sounds
All Oilers basketball games can be heard on 88.3 FM "WLFC" or on the internet via their website.
You can listen to the broadcast by clicking on the following link:
The University of Findlay will also broadcast all of their home basketball games on America One. The games can be viewed on your computer for a small fee by visiting the American One website at the following address:
UF athletics will also offer live stats for all home games. A link to this process can be retrieved by clicking on the live stats button located on the left side of the Oilers athletic website.
The Series
The Oilers have never lost to the Storm as they hold an 11-0 advantage in the all-time series dating back to the 1988-89 campaign when Findlay was victorious by a score of 84-51.
The Oilers captured a pair of victories over Lake Erie last season, winning 76-53 at home and 63-41 on the road.
In the win at home, Nathan Hyde led the team with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists while Kyle Caiola contributed nine points, four rebounds and two steals.
In the win on the road, Caiola led the team with 14 points while Jack Smith and Hyde also reached double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Aaron Robinson added nine points while Brad Piehl contributed six points and six rebounds.
The Oilers hold a 23-15 advantage in the all-time series against Wayne State dating back to the 1990-91 campaign when they came out on top by a score of 80-79.
Findlay claimed a 68-63 win over the Warriors last week behind 20 points from Caiola.
Caiola hit 5-of-9 shots from the field and drilled 10-of-12 free throw attempts.
Piehl added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting while Jake Heagen scored 13.
Greg Kahlig also reached double figures with ten points to go along with four rebounds and three assists.
The University of Findlay
The Oilers used a late 6-0 run within 34 seconds of play in the second half to capture a 68-63 win over Wayne State University on Saturday, January 7 in Croy Gymnasium.
The Oilers, who improved to 11-3 on the season with a 5-2 record in GLIAC play, shot 47.8 percent (22-of-46) from the field and hit 20-of-27 (74.1%) of their free throw attempts in the game.
The Warriors meanwhile shot 50 percent (25-of-50) from the floor and connected on 11-of-12 (91.7%) shots from the charity stripe.
Senior guard Kyle Caiola led the Oilers with a season-high tying 20 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
The Parma, Ohio native also hit 10-of-12 shots from the free throw line in 34 minutes of action.
Junior forward Brad Piehl made 6-of-9 shots en route to 15 points while Heagen recorded 13 points and four rebounds, hitting on 5-of-6 shots from the field.
Sophomore forward Greg Kahlig also reached double digits in scoring, chipping in ten points to go along with four rebounds and three assists.
For Findlay's 2011-12 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Findlay's 2011-12 roster, please click on the following link:
Lake Erie College
The Storm are currently 7-5 on the season with a 2-3 record in conference play.
Rich Austin leads the team with averages of 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Riley Thomas is also averaging in double figures, scoring 10.8 points per night.
For Lake Erie's 2011-12 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Lake Erie's 2011-12 roster, please click on the following link:
Wayne State University
The Warriors have an 8-5 record on the season and are 5-2 in conference play.
Mike Hollingsworth leads the team with an average of 17.2 points per game while Ike Udanoh has recorded 15.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per outing thus far.
Cole Prophet (12.5), Bryan Coleman (11.5) and Ian Larkin (10.5) are also scoring in double figures on a nightly basis.
For Wayne State's 2011-12 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Wayne State's 2011-12 roster, please click on the following link:
Lighting Up the Scoreboard
The Oilers are averaging 81.0 points per game on the season, the best mark in the GLIAC.
The last time the Oilers averaged over 80.0 points per game in a season came during the 2001-02 campaign when they scored 86.4 points per contest.
Individually, sophomore forward Greg Kahlig ranks 15th with 14.0 points per contest while senior guard Kyle Caiola is 20th at 13.3 points per outing.
Pounding the Boards
The Oilers are ranked third in the GLIAC in rebounds per game at 37.7.
Individually, sophomore forward Greg Kahlig leads the team with 5.4 rebounds per game while junior forward Jack Smith (5.3) and sophomore forward Mark Frilling (5.1) are both averaging over five boards per contest.
Swatting Shots
The Oilers are averaging 3.9 blocks per game on the season, the second best mark in the league.
Individually, sophomore forward Mark Frilling ranks 13th in the GLIAC with 1.1 blocked shots per game.
Making Shots
As a team, the Oilers are connecting on 47.8 percent of their field goal attempts, which is the second best mark in the league.
Individually, junior foward Brad Piehl ranks first in the GLIAC in field goal shooting percentage, hitting 62.5 percent of his tries.
Sophomore forward Greg Kahlig checks in fifth with a 56.3 percent shooting clip.
Grand Theft
The Oilers lead the conference and rank 29th nationally in steals per game with 9.6 per contest.
Individually, sophomore forward Greg Kahlig and senior guard Kyle Caiola rank 11th with 1.4 steals per outing.
Spreading the Wealth
The Oilers rank second in the GLIAC with 15.4 assists per game.
Individually, senior guard Kyle Caiola is ranked fifth in the GLIAC in assists per game with 3.6 per contest.
Automatic from the Line
Senior guard Kyle Caiola is hitting 91.1 percent of his free throw attempts on the year, the second best mark in the league and the 14th best in the nation.
In addition, junior forward Jack Smith ranks ninth with a 84.6 percent shooting clip from the line while sophomore forward Greg Kahlig checks in 11th with a 84.4 percent mark from the charity stripe.
Junior forward Brad Piehl also shows up in the league leaders, ranking 15th with a free throw shooting percentage of 81.8.
As a team, the Oilers are shooting 76.4 percent from the line, the best mark in the GLIAC and the 15th best in the nation.
Stroking 3's
Sophomore forward Greg Kahlig ranks eighth in the GLIAC in three point shooting percentage, hitting 44.4 percent of his attempts.
As a team, the Oilers are hitting 34.6 percent of their three pointers, which is the fourth best mark in the GLIAC.
They are also making 6.4 three pointers per contest, the fifth best total in the conference.
Defense Wins Championships
The Oilers are allowing 68.9 points per game, the eighth best mark in the GLIAC.
The Oilers are also holding opponents to a mere 41.6 percent shooting clip, the fifth best mark in the league.
Taking Care of the Rock
Senior guard Kyle Caiola ranks fourth in the GLIAC in assist to turnover ratio at 1.8 on the year.
Simply the Best
The Oilers have the best winning percentage in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 297 games and lost only 60 for a percentage of .832.
A Tough Place to Play
The Oilers are 523-110 (.826) in Croy Gymnasium since they starting playing home games there during the 1969-70 season.
In the past nine years, the Oilers are a staggering 147-3 at home for a winning percentage of .980.
Dominating GLIAC Home Games
The Oilers have won 71 straight GLIAC games at home during the regular season.
Their last loss at home in conference play came in 70-68 fashion against Gannon University on February 12, 2004.
Handling Non-Conference Foes
The Oilers have posted a 78-4 record (.951) against non-conference opponents in games played at Croy Gymnasium during the past ten years.
Putting the Ball in the Hole
Senior guard Kyle Caiola has been a tremendous scorer during his career and has racked up 1,621 points during his tenure at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and The University of Findlay.
Playing his first two seasons at Massachusetts-Lowell, Caiola scored 1,043 points. He has since scored 578 with the Oilers after transferring in last season.
Conference Championships
The Oilers have won ten GLIAC South Division titles in their 14-year affiliation with the conference and have also won five conference tournaments, capturing titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010.
In the last ten years, the Oilers have won nine GLIAC South Division titles.
GLIAC Tournament Success
The Oilers currently sport a 22-6 record in the GLIAC Tournament, winning titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010.
Findlay has appeared in the championship game of the event seven times in the past nine years. They reached the finals in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
National Elite
The Oilers have appeared in nine of the last ten NCAA Division II National Tournaments with a 15-8 record, reaching the Elite Eight during the 2004-05 campaign and the Final Four in the 2008-09 season when they captured their first NCAA Division II National Championship.
They also reached the Sweet 16 during the 2007-08 campaign.
Passing Their Way into the Record Book
The Oilers dished out a school record 30 assists in their lopsided 98-57 win over Notre Dame (Ohio) on December 3.
The previous record of 28 was established twice before in a 94-45 win over Rio Grande (12/22/2007) and a 99-67 win against Lake Erie (11/27/2006).
Breaking Board Records
The Oilers broke a school record in their first game of the season after snatching 63 rebounds in their 92-62 win at home over Ohio Valley on November 12.
The previous record of 56 rebounds came in a 102-54 win against Tiffin on December 18, 2001.
Preseason GLIAC Poll
The Oilers received a league-best 170 points and 20 first place votes in the 2011-12 Preseason GLIAC Poll, which was released on November 2.
They have won nine GLIAC South Division titles in the past ten years.
Preseason All-GLIAC
Senior guard Kyle Caiola was tabbed a first team all-conference pick while junior guard Aaron Robinson earned second team all-league honors during the preseason.
Caiola, who was a first team all-league pick last year, averaged 14.0 points per game last season.
Robinson, an all-defensive team selection last year, averaged 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 2010-11.
Preseason All-American
Senior guard Kyle Caiola was tabbed an honorable mention All-American by the Sporting News.
Caiola, a first team all-conference selection last year, averaged 14.0 points per game during his junior season.
Helpful Links
For more information on the GLIAC, please click on the following link:
For more information on NCAA Division II Men's Basketball, please click on the following links: