Oilers Make the Trek North, Face Huskies and Wildcats
The University of Findlay men's basketball team will be on the road for two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) games this week. The Oilers will play Michigan Tech University at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and then face Northern Michigan University at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
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 hold a 15-5 advantage in the all-time series against the Huskies dating back to the 1997-98 campaign when Michigan Tech was victorious by an 81-71 margin.
The Oilers, who have won 12 straight games against the Huskies, won 100-60 last year in Croy Gymnasium.
Nathan Hyde led the way with 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting while Jack Smith added 14.
The Oilers sport a 13-3 record against the Wildcats dating back to the 1997-98 campaign when Northern Michigan came out on top by a score of 68-57.
Findlay has seven straight against Northern Michigan and came away with an 86-65 win last year in Croy Gymnasium as Aaron Robinson and Smith tallied 20 and 18 points, respectively.
The University of Findlay
The Oilers claimed a 79-49 win over Ashland University on Saturday, January 28 in Croy Gymnasium.
The Oilers once again had a hot hand as they hit 56.4 percent (31-of-55) of their field goal attempts. They also drained 11-of-28 (39.3%) shots from three point range and only turned the ball over six times during the win.
On defense, Findlay forced 20 turnovers, came away with nine steals and blocked eight shots.
The Oilers, who held a 41-2 advantage in points off the bench, received 15 points from junior forward Brad Piehl and 14 points from freshman forward Jake Heagen.
Sophomore forward Greg Kahlig added 12 points and five rebounds while junior forward Jack Smith turned in 11 points off the bench.
Senior guard Kyle Caiola and sophomore guard Sean Samsel each had nine points.
Samsel added five assists while Caiola recorded four helpers in the win, which was the Oilers 74th straight against a GLIAC opponent in Croy Gymnasium.
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:
Michigan Technological University
The Huskies are currently 10-9 on the year with an 8-4 record in the GLIAC. They have been led by Ali Haidar's 17.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
Mike Hojnacki and Austin Armga are also scoring in double figures at 11.8 and 10.3 points per game, respectively.
For Michigan Tech's 2011-12 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Michigan Tech's 2011-12 roster, please click on the following link:
Northern Michigan University
The Wildcats are 8-11 on the year with a 4-8 mark in the GLIAC. Haki Stampley leads the team with a 14.8 points per game scoring average.
DeAndre Taylor and Jared Benson are also averaging in double figures at 12.6 and 11.7 points per game, respectively.
For Northern Michigan's 2011-12 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Northern Michigan's 2011-12 roster, please click on the following link:
Lighting Up the Scoreboard
The Oilers are averaging 80.2 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, senior guard Kyle Caiola ranks 15th in the conference with a 13.5 points per game average while sophomore guard Greg Kahlig is ranked 18th at 12.9 points per contest.
Making Shots
As a team, the Oilers are connecting on 49.3 percent of their field goal attempts, which is the second best mark in the league and the 20th highest in the country.
Individually, junior foward Brad Piehl ranks first in the GLIAC in field goal shooting percentage, hitting 62.4 percent of his tries.
Sophomore forward Greg Kahlig checks in eighth with a 55.3 percent shooting clip while sophomore forward Mark Frilling is tenth at 54.1 percent.
Grand Theft
The Oilers lead the conference in steals per game and rank 28th in the nation with 9.2 per contest.
Individually, senior guard Kyle Caiola ranks ninth in the league with 1.5 steals per game.
Automatic from the Line
Senior guard Kyle Caiola is hitting 91.1 percent of his free throw attempts on the year, the third best mark in the league and the 10th best in the nation.
In addition, junior forward Brad Piehl is hitting 84.7 percent of his attempts from the free throw line to rank eighth in the conference.
As a team, the Oilers are shooting 74.8 percent from the line, the second best mark in the GLIAC and the 22nd best in the nation.
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 11th in the GLIAC with 1.1 blocked shots per game.
Spreading the Wealth
The Oilers rank third in the GLIAC with 14.8 assists per game.
Individually, senior guard Kyle Caiola is ranked seventh in the GLIAC in assists per game with 3.6 per contest.
Pounding the Boards
The Oilers are ranked fifth in the GLIAC with 35.6 rebounds per game.
Stroking 3's
Sophomore forward Greg Kahlig leads the team and ranks 11th in the GLIAC with a 41.2 percent shooting clip from three point range.
Senior guard Kyle Caiola ranks 14th with a 40.0 percent shooting mark from long range while sophomore guard Sean Samsel is 15th at 39.7 percent.
As a team, the Oilers are hitting 37.0 percent of their three pointers, which is the fifth best mark in the GLIAC.
They are also making 6.9 three pointers per contest, the fourth best total in the conference.
Winning Big
The Oilers lead the GLIAC in point differential as they are out-scoring their opponents by 12.7 points per game.
The scoring margin is the 16th best in the nation.
Taking Care of the Rock
Senior guard Kyle Caiola ranks seventh in the GLIAC in assist to turnover ratio at 1.6 on the year.
Simply the Best
The Oilers have the best winning percentage in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 301 games and lost only 61 for a percentage of .831.
A Tough Place to Play
The Oilers are 526-110 (.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 150-3 at home for a winning percentage of .980.
Dominating GLIAC Home Games
The Oilers have won 74 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 1,691 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 648 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: