#24 Oilers Welcome Bulldogs and Lakers to Town
The Oilers men's basketball team, ranked 24th in the nation, will be at home for two games in three days beginning on Saturday, Dec. 15 when they host Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) foe Ferris State University at 1 p.m. They will then welcome Grand Valley State University to Croy Gymnasium on Monday, Dec. 17 for a 6 p.m. contest.
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:
For live stats, please click on the following link:
For a webcast of home games, please click on the following link:
The Series
The Oilers hold a 17-5 advantage in the all-time series against Ferris State dating back to the 1962-63 campaign when the Bulldogs were victorious by a score of 79-66.
Last year the Oilers grinded out a 74-69 win over the Bulldogs in Croy Gymnasium despite trailing 41-33 at the break.
Kyle Caiola led the way with 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.
Greg Kahlig added 13 points while Sean Samsel came off the bench to contribute 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Jake Heagen stuffed the stat sheet with six points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal while Jack Smith and Mark Frilling had six points apiece.
The Oilers hold a 15-10 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.
Last season the Oilers went 2-0 against the Lakers, winning 68-57 in the regular season and 72-66 in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament.
In the tournament win, Kyle Caiola led the way with a game-high 25 points. The Parma, Ohio native hit only 2-of-3 shots from the field, but converted a school record 19-of-20 free throw attempts.
Caiola bettered the school record of 17 made free throws by Randy Kortokrax who accomplished the feat against Cedarville University on March 2, 1987.
Greg Kahlig added 13 points and six rebounds while Jack Smith came off the bench to provide 12 points and six boards.
The Oilers shot only 38.5 percent (15-of-39) from the field, but connected on 36-of-41 (87.8%) shots from the free throw line.
The University of Findlay
The Oilers came away with an 80-62 win over Northern Michigan University on Saturday, Dec. 8 in Marquette, Mich.
Findlay built a 44-32 lead at the break as they hit 66.7 percent (16-of-24) of their field goal attempts in the opening half. The Oilers then kept their foot on the accelerator in the second half to salvage a split on their trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Senior guard Aaron Robinson led the team with a season-high 18 points, hitting all five of his three point attempts. Robinson also contributed five steals and four assists in the game.
Junior forward Mark Frilling also had a huge game for the Oilers off the bench with a career-high 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Frilling also added six rebounds in 21 minutes.
The Oilers shot a season-high 56.9 percent (29-of-51) from the floor and drained 8-of-18 (44.4%) attempts from behind the three point line. They also forced 20 turnovers and came away with 15 steals in the game.
For Findlay's 2012-13 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Findlay's 2012-13 roster, please click on the following link:
Ferris State University
The Bulldogs have a 4-3 record on the year with a 3-1 mark in GLIAC play. Kenny Brown has paced the team thus far and is averaging 16.5 points per game.
Drew Lehman is averaging 15.0 points per game while Daniel Sutherlin is contributing 11.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per outing.
For Ferris State's 2012-13 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Ferris State's 2012-13 roster, please click on the following link:
Grand Valley State University
The Lakers are 7-1 on the season with a 4-0 record in GLIAC play. Ryan Sabin leads the team with a 13.0 points per game average and is hitting 52.6 percent (20-of-38) of his three point attempts.
Tyrone Lee is also scoring in double figures at 10.6 points per outing while Ryan Majerle is clicking for 9.8 points per game.
Majerle is also hitting 56.3 percent (18-of-32) of his three point tries on the year.
For Grand Valley State's 2012-13 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Grand Valley State's 2012-13 roster, please click on the following link:
Simply the Best
The Oilers have the best winning percentage in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 315 games and lost only 66 for an overall winning percentage of .827.
Scoring in Bunches
Junior forward Greg Kahlig is ranked 11th in the GLIAC in points per game as he is averaging 15.4 per outing.
The Oilers are averaging 76.0 points per game this season, the third best mark in the league.
Shooting the Lights Out
Junior forward Greg Kahlig ranks 16th in the GLIAC in field goal shooting percentage as he is connecting on 50.0 percent of his attempts.
Pounding the Boards
Junior forward Mark Frilling leads the team with 6.0 rebounds per game, the 17th best mark in the GLIAC, while fellow junior forward Greg Kahlig checks in 31st at 5.1 rebounds per contest.
Grand Theft
The Oilers are averaging 8.4 steals per game, which ranks third in the conference.
Sophomore forward Jake Heagen leads the team and ranks tenth in the conference with 1.6 steals per contest.
Getting to the Line
The Oilers have made a big impact on the offensive end with their ability to get to the free throw line and rank third in the conference in free throws made (124) and first in free throw shooting percentage (76.5%).
The Oilers free throw shooting percentage is also the 17th best mark in the nation.
Individually, senior guard Aaron Robinson ranks seventh in the GLIAC at 88.9 percent while senior forward Brad Piehl checks in tenth with an 87.0 percent shooting clip from the free throw line.
Raining 3's
The Oilers have made 56 three pointers this season, the third best total in the GLIAC.
Senior guard Aaron Robinson leads the team with 15 made triples while Greg Kahlig has swished 12.
Sending it Back
Junior forward Mark Frilling is swatting 1.3 shots per game, the fifth best mark in the GLIAC.
1,000-Point Club
The Oilers have several players who will look to reach the 1,000-point plateau this season.
Senior guard Aaron Robinson has the best chance as he has accumulated 856 points during his tenure with the team.
Junior forward Greg Kahlig has recorded 738 points during his career while senior forward Jack Smith has scored 736 points with the program.
Racking up the Victories
The Oilers have been playing basketball since the 1902-03 campaign and have amassed a 1,426-853-2 (.626) record since their initial season of competition.
Scoring 100
The Oilers have reached the 100-point plateau 175 times since 1902 and have a 169-6 (.966) record in those games.
The 20-Win Plateau
The Oilers have achieved 20 wins in each of the past 11 years and sport a sparkling 291-56 (.839) record since the 2001-02 campaign.
A Tough Place to Play
The Oilers are 533-111 (.828) in Croy Gymnasium since they starting playing home games there during the 1969-70 season. The number is even better in the past ten years as the Oilers are a staggering 157-4 at home for a winning percentage of .975.
Dominating GLIAC Home Games
The Oilers have won 78 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 73-3 record (.960) against non-conference opponents in games played at Croy Gymnasium during the past ten years.
Their last loss at home to a non-conference team came against #1 West Liberty State by a score of 90-74 on Nov. 14, 2012.
Conference Championships
The Oilers have won ten GLIAC South Division titles in their 16-year affiliation with the conference and have also won six conference tournaments, capturing titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012.
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 sport a 25-6 record in the GLIAC Tournament, winning titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012.
Findlay has appeared in the championship game of the event eight times in the past ten years. They reached the finals in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012.
Findlay is tied with Grand Valley State for a GLIAC best six league tournament titles.
Dancing
The Oilers have appeared in ten out of the last 11 NCAA Division II National Tournaments with a 16-9 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.
Taking Care of Business
The Oilers have never lost a GLIAC Tournament game at home. Since 2002-03, the Oilers have an 18-0 record in GLIAC Tournament games within the friendly confines of Croy Gymnasium.
NCAA Division II Poll
1. West Liberty, W.Va. (12 first place votes) 8-0
2. Washburn, Kan. (1 first place vote) 7-0
3. Metropolitan State, Colo. (1 first place vote) 7-0
4. Alabama-Huntsville (1 first place vote) 7-1
5. Bellarmine, Ky. (1 first place vote) 6-0
6. Western Washington 7-0
7. Southern Indiana 5-0
8. Cal Poly Pomona 7-0
9. Seattle Pacific, Wash. 8-1
10. Northwest Missouri State 8-0
11. St. Cloud State, Minn. 6-0
12. Franklin Pierce, N.H. 7-1
13. Kentucky Wesleyan 5-0
14. Indianapolis, Ind. 7-0
15. Augusta State, Ga. 5-0
16. Barton, N.C. 7-1
17. Assumption, Mass. 8-0
18. Indiana, Pa. 6-1
19. Drury, Mo. 6-0
20. Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. 6-1
21. Minnesota State 6-1
22. Tampa, Fla. 6-0
23. Winston-Salem State, N.C. 6-2
24. Findlay, Ohio 5-2
25. Alaska-Anchorage 7-2
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: