#24 Oilers Hold On For 82-81 Overtime Win Over Bulldogs
The University of Findlay men's basketball team hung on for an 82-81 win in overtime against Ferris State University on Saturday, Dec. 15 in Croy Gymnasium. The Oilers improved to 6-2 on the season with a 4-1 record in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play with the victory.
The #24 Oilers trailed for the majority of the game, but tied it up at 74-74 on a short shot by sophomore forward Jake Heagen with 52 seconds remaining in regulation. The Bulldogs then missed two shots down the stretch as the game headed into overtime.
Trailing by three at 81-78 with just over a minute to play in the extra session, senior forward Brad Piehl connected on a pair of free throws to trim the lead to one. After forcing a turnover, Piehl again went to the line and gave Findlay an 82-81 advantage by making two shots with 14 ticks left.
Leading by one the Oilers forced a miss as junior forward Mark Frilling grabbed the defensive rebound and was fouled. Frilling went to the line wih six seconds remaining, but was unable to hit either of his attempts. The Oilers defense however did not allow the Bulldogs to get a shot up as the Oilers won their 79th straight game over a league opponent in Croy Gymnasium.
Piehl led the way with a career-high 21 points. He did most of damage from the free throw line as he hit 16-of-17 attempts from the charity stripe.
Senior guard Aaron Robinson, who hit two huge three pointers down the stretch, finished with 14 points while junior forward Greg Kahlig contributed 13 points and three steals.
Heagen finished with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists while junior guard Sean Samsel recorded seven points and a career-high seven assists.
Freshman forward Dylan Kaufman came off the bench to provide eight points while senior forward Jack Smith had five points and six rebounds.
The Bulldogs were led by Daniel Sutherlin's 20 points and seven rebounds.
The Oilers shot 46.2 percent (24-of-52) from the field and drained 11-of-21 (52.4%) shot attempts from behind the three point line.
The Bulldogs connected on 50.9 percent (28-of-55) of their shot attempts in the game.
The Oilers will host Grand Valley State University on Monday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. in Croy Gymnasium.