Oilers Close Regular Season at Lake Superior State
The University of Findlay men's basketball team will close out their regular season on Saturday, Feb. 25 when they face Lake Superior State University. The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contest is scheduled to begin at 3 pm in Sault Ste. Marie, 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 hold a commanding 17-2 advantage in the all-time series against the Lakers dating back to the 1997-98 campaign when they won by a score of 68-57.
The Oilers have won three straight against Lake Superior State including a 73-56 win over the Lakers last year in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament.
Kyle Caiola led the team with 15 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals while Greg Kahlig added 13 points, four assists and three rebounds off the bench.
Nathan Hyde added 12 points and seven rebounds while Aaron Robinson had ten points and six boards.
The Oilers shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the floor and forced 19 turnovers in the game. They also out-rebounded the Lakers by a 34-31 margin and dished out 16 assists in the win.
The University of Findlay
The University of Findlay men's basketball team grinded out a tough, 74-69 win over Ferris State University on Saturday, Feb. 18 in Croy Gymnasium.
The Oilers, who extended their home winning streak against GLIAC foes to 76 games, shot 50 percent (23-of-46) from the floor and drilled 9-of-20 (45%) attempts from behind the three point line.
The Bulldogs, who shot 60 percent (15-of-25) in the first half, ended the game with a 41.1 percent (23-of-56) shooting clip as the Oilers defense held them to a mere 25.8 percent (8-of-31) showing from the field in the second period of the game.
Caiola led the way with a season-high 25 points on 6-of-11 shooting. He also added seven assists and five rebounds while hitting all ten of his shots from the free throw line.
Kahlig added 13 points while Samsel came off the bench to contribute 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Heagen stuffed the stat sheet with six points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal while Smith and Frilling had six points apiece.
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 Superior State University
The Lakers are 11-13 on the year with a 6-11 record in the GLIAC. Derek Billing leads the team with a 16.8 points per game average.
Kyle Hunt is stuffing the stat sheet with averages of 13.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest while Derek Kinney is averaging 11.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
For Lake Superior State's 2011-12 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Lake Superior State's 2011-12 roster, please click on the following link:
Lighting Up the Scoreboard
The Oilers are averaging 78.4 points per game on the season, the best mark in the GLIAC.
The Oilers have an opportunity to average over 80.0 points per game this season, which has not been accomplished since the 2001-02 campaign when they scored 86.4 points per contest.
Individually, senior guard Kyle Caiola ranks 11th in the conference with a 14.2 points per game average while sophomore guard Greg Kahlig is ranked 14th at 13.5 points per contest.
Making Shots
As a team, the Oilers are connecting on 48.7 percent of their field goal attempts, which is the best mark in the league and the 23rd highest in the country.
Individually, junior foward Brad Piehl ranks fifth in the GLIAC in field goal shooting percentage, hitting 56.4 percent of his tries.
Sophomore forward Greg Kahlig is also ranked high amongst the league leaders and checks in eighth with a 55.5 percent shooting clip.
Sophomore forward Mark Frilling is also ranked, sitting 11th at 54.7 percent.
Grand Theft
The Oilers lead the conference in steals per game and rank 28th in the nation with 8.5 per contest.
Individually, senior guard Kyle Caiola ranks 13th in the league with 1.4 steals per game.
Automatic from the Line
Senior guard Kyle Caiola is hitting 91.6 percent of his free throw attempts on the year, the second best mark in the league and the fourth best in the nation.
In addition, junior forward Brad Piehl is hitting 80.3 percent of his attempts from the free throw line to rank 16th in the conference.
As a team, the Oilers are shooting 75.5 percent from the line, the second best mark in the GLIAC and the 18th best in the nation.
Swatting Shots
The Oilers are averaging 3.6 blocks per game on the season, the second best mark in the league.
Individually, sophomore forward Mark Frilling ranks tenth in the GLIAC with 1.0 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 sixth in the GLIAC in assists per game with 3.8 per contest.
Stroking 3's
Sophomore forward Greg Kahlig leads the team and ranks fourth in the GLIAC with a 45.8 percent shooting clip from three point range.
Senior guard Kyle Caiola checks in tenth with a 41.2 percent shooting clip from long range.
As a team, the Oilers are hitting 38.9 percent of their three pointers, which is the second best mark in the GLIAC.
The percentage is also the 24th best in the nation.
They are also making 7.6 three pointers per contest, the best total in the conference.
Winning Big
The Oilers are second in the GLIAC in point differential as they are out-scoring their opponents by 10.8 points per game.
The scoring margin is the 21st best in the nation.
Taking Care of the Rock
Senior guard Kyle Caiola ranks eighth in the GLIAC in assist to turnover ratio at 1.6 on the year.
GLIAC Player of the Week
Senior guard Kyle Caiola was tabbed the GLIAC South Division Player of the Week on Monday, Feb. 20.
To earn the award, Caiola averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest. He also hit 93.8 percent (15-of-16) of his free throw attempts, 56.3 percent (9-of-16) of his field goal attempts and 50.0 percent (4-of-8) of his shots from behind the three point line.
Efficient Offense
The Oilers have had an efficient offense in their last nine games, shooting 51.0 percent from the floor and 44.6 percent from behind the three point line.
During the stretch, the Oilers have made 87 three pointers, which amounts to 9.7 per game.
Defense Wins Championships
The Oilers are allowing 67.6 points per game on the season. In their last nine games however, the Oilers have really stepped up their defense and have allowed a mere 59.1 points to their opponents.
Simply the Best
The Oilers have the best winning percentage in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 305 games and lost only 63 for a percentage of .829.
A Tough Place to Play
The Oilers are 528-110 (.828) 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 152-3 at home for a winning percentage of .981.
Dominating GLIAC Home Games
The Oilers have won 76 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 1,789 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 756 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: