Oilers Host Lakers in 1st Round of GLIAC Tournament
The University of Findlay men's basketball team will host Grand Valley State University in the first round of the 2012 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament. The contest is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. in Croy Gymnasium.
TV
The Oilers first round GLIAC Tournament game against Grand Valley State University will be broadcast live on UFTV.
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 14-10 advantage in the all-time series against Grand Valley State dating back to the 1997-98 campaign when the Lakers came out on top by a score of 81-76.
Earlier this month, the Oilers defeated the Lakers by a score of 68-57 in Croy Gymnasium.
The Oilers, who led by as many as 21 points in the second half, made over half of their field goals from three point range as they connected on 13-of-24 (54.2%) attempts. For the game, Findlay hit 54.5 percent (24-of-44) of their shots and dished out 20 assists in the win.
Kyle Caiola led the way with 12 points, six assists and four steals.
Brad Piehl also tallied 12 points while Greg Kahlig and Aaron Robinson had ten points apiece.
Jack Smith hit three triples en route to nine points.
The University of Findlay
The University of Findlay men's basketball team ended their regular season with a 75-62 win over Lake Superior State University on Saturday, Feb. 25 in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
The win gave the Oilers a 20-6 record on the season with a 14-5 mark in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play.
The Oilers, who have now won 20 or more games in ten straight seasons, shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the floor and drilled 40.9 percent (9-of-22) of their shots from behind the three point line.
They also forced 16 turnovers and blocked four shots in the win.
Senior guard Kyle Caiola led the way with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
He also added six rebounds and five assists while hitting 4-of-6 attempts from three point range.
Freshman forward Jake Heagen added 11 points while sophomore forward Greg Kahlig and junior forward Jack Smith contributed ten 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:
Grand Valley State University
The Lakers are 14-12 on the year with a 10-9 record in GLIAC play. James Thomas leads the team with a 14.8 points per game average while Nick Waddell (11.4) and Breland Hogan (10.0) are also averaging in double figures on a nightly basis.
For Grand Valley State's 2011-12 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Grand Valley State's 2011-12 roster, please click on the following link:
Lighting Up the Scoreboard
The Oilers are averaging 78.3 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 tenth in the conference with a 14.5 points per game average while sophomore guard Greg Kahlig is ranked 15th at 13.3 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 56.5 percent of his tries.
Sophomore forward Greg Kahlig is also ranked high amongst the league leaders and checks in seventh with a 55.5 percent shooting clip.
Sophomore forward Mark Frilling is also ranked, sitting 12th at 53.5 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 12th in the league with 1.4 steals per game.
Automatic from the Line
Senior guard Kyle Caiola is hitting 92.0 percent of his free throw attempts on the year, the best mark in the league and the second 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 75.4 percent from the line, the second best mark in the GLIAC and the 18th best in the nation.
Swatting Shots
The Oilers are averaging 3.7 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 fifth 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 45.3 percent shooting clip from three point range.
Senior guard Kyle Caiola checks in ninth with a 42.9 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 22nd best in the nation.
They are also making 7.7 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 19th best in the nation.
Taking Care of the Rock
Senior guard Kyle Caiola ranks ninth in the GLIAC in assist to turnover ratio at 1.7 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 ten games, shooting 50.8 percent from the floor and 44.1 percent from behind the three point line.
During the stretch, the Oilers have made 96 three pointers, which amounts to 9.6 per game.
Simply the Best
The Oilers have the best winning percentage in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 306 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 1,813 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 770 with the Oilers after transferring in last season.
Conference Championships
The Oilers have won ten GLIAC South Division titles in their 15-year affiliation with the conference and have also won five conference tournaments, capturing titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010.
In the last 11 years, the Oilers have won nine GLIAC South Division titles.
Overall, Findlay has won GLIAC South Division titles in 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
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.
Taking Care of Business
The Oilers have also never lost a GLIAC Tournament game at home. Since 2002-03, the Oilers have a 17-0 record in GLIAC Tournament games within the friendly confines of Croy Gymnasium.
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: