Oilers Renew Rivalry with Walsh, Return Home to Face Malone
The Oilers men's basketball team will have two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) games this week. The Oilers will hit the road to face Walsh University on Thursday at 6 p.m. before returning home to take on Malone University at 2 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.
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The Series
The Oilers hold a 12-7 lead in the all-time series against Walsh dating back to the 1964-65 campaign when Findlay came away with a 77-71 victory.
This will be the first time the two programs have hooked up on the hardwood since the 2002-03 campaign when the Oilers came out on top by a score of 77-71.
Charles Warren scored 15 points to pace Findlay while Frank Phillips added 14.
Brad Rethman added 13 points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocks while Marwan Gaines just missed out on a double-double with eight points, ten rebounds and three blocks.
Dustin Pfeifer stuffed the stat sheet in the win, scoring four points to go along with five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
The Oilers currently lead the all-time series against Malone by a 27-13 margin, winning the first meeting by a score of 86-63 during the 1959-60 campaign.
The Pioneers snapped the Oilers 71-game home winning streak last year with a 74-71 victory in Croy Gymnasium.
Kyle Caiola led the Oilers with 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting while Brad Piehl scored 16 points in the loss.
Jack Smith added 12 points, Aaron Robinson scored 11 and Greg Kahlig recorded seven points, nine rebounds and five steals.
The University of Findlay
The Oilers snapped a two-game losing streak with an 83-68 win over Lake Erie College on Saturday, Jan. 19 in Painesville, Ohio.
The Oilers built a 45-28 lead at the break as Greg Kahlig lit up the Storm for 22 first half points. Kahlig, who scored a career-high 30 points in the victory, connected on 8-of-13 shots from the field and drained 5-of-6 shots from behind the three point line. He also made all nine of his attempts from the free throw line and contributed five boards as well.
Brad Piehl added 12 points and six rebounds while Alphonso Baity had ten points in his second career start.
Mark Frilling and Jack Smith provided punch off the bench for Findlay as well, contributing nine and eight points, respectively. Dylan Kaufman also had a good game off the pine, scoring seven points to go along with three assists.
The Oilers shot 50 percent (27-of-54) from the field and canned 8-of-17 (47.1%) attempts from long range.
Findlay also pounded the boards, out-rebounding the Storm by a 37-19 margin as Jake Heagen led the team with eight boards.
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:
Walsh University
The Cavaliers are on a four-game winning streak and sport an 11-4 record on the season. They have also achieved a 7-4 record in conference play and have been led by Kenny Kornowski, who is averaging 18.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.
The Cavaliers are averaging a league-best 83.3 points per game and are also receiving double digit scoring efforts from Rian Burrell (14.2), Jesse Hardin (11.1) and Davonte Beard (10.3).
For Walsh's 2012-13 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Walsh's 2012-13 roster, please click on the following link:
Malone University
The Pioneers are currently 9-6 on the year with a 7-5 record in GLIAC play. Isiah Elliott is their primary scorer and is averaging 19.1 points per game.
Cory Veldhuizen is also averaging in double figures with an 11.4 points per game average.
For Malone's 2012-13 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Malone'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 321 games and lost only 68 for an overall winning percentage of .825.
Scoring in Bunches
Junior forward Greg Kahlig is ranked 11th in the GLIAC in points per game as he is averaging 15.8 per outing.
The Oilers are averaging 73.2 points per game this season, the third best mark in the league.
Grand Theft
The Oilers are averaging 8.2 steals per game, which ranks third in the conference.
Senior guard Aaron Robinson leads the team and ranks 15th in the conference with 1.2 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 first in the conference in free throws made (294) and free throw shooting percentage (76.4%).
The Oilers free throw shooting percentage is also the ninth best mark in the nation.
Individually, senior forward Brad Piehl ranks seventh in the conference with a 87.3 percent shooting mark from the charity stripe.
Raining 3's
The Oilers have made 120 three pointers this season, the second best total in the GLIAC.
Junior forward Greg Kahlig leads the team with 30 made triples while senior guard Aaron Robinson is second with 29.
From a percentage standpoint, Kahlig ranks eighth in the league with a 42.9 percent shooting clip from long range.
Pounding the Boards
The Oilers are averaging 37.3 rebounds per game, the third best total in the GLIAC.
Sophomore forward Jake Heagen leads the team with 5.5 rebounds per game.
Defending the 3
The Oilers have had excellent perimeter defense this season making it difficult for opponents to get good looks at three point opportunities. The team is holding opponents to a mere 26.9 percent shooting clip from long range, the third best mark in the nation.
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 929 points during his tenure with the team.
Junior forward Greg Kahlig has recorded 881 points during his career while senior forward Jack Smith has scored 810 points with the program.
Racking up the Victories
The Oilers have been playing basketball since the 1902-03 campaign and have amassed a 1,432-856-2 (.626) record since their initial season of competition.
A Tough Place to Play
The Oilers are 537-112 (.827) 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 161-5 at home for a winning percentage of .970.
Dominating GLIAC Home Games
The Oilers have won 81 of their last 82 conference games at home. They fell 57-55 to Tiffin University on Jan. 12, 2013. Before that game, their last loss came in 70-68 fashion against Gannon University on February 12, 2004.
Handling Non-Conference Foes
The Oilers have posted a 74-3 record (.961) 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.
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: