Oilers Face #24 Huskies in Semifinals

Oilers Face #24 Huskies in Semifinals

The Oilers face #24 Michigan Technological University in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament seminfinals on Saturday, March 9 at 1 p.m. in Houghton, Mich.

2013 GLIAC Men's Basketball Tournament

For complete coverage of the 2013 GLIAC Men's Basketball Tournament, click below:

2013 GLIAC Men's Basketball Tournament

Tickets will be available at the gate in Houghton.  Reserved tickets are $12 and general admission seats are $10.  College students can get in for $2 and students in grades 3-12 are $5.

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:

WLFC

For live stats, please click on the following link:

Live Stats

For a webcast of home games, please click on the following link:

Video Streaming

The Series

The Oilers hold a 15-7 advantage in the all-time series against the Huskies dating back to the 1997-98 campaign when Michigan Tech was victorious by an 81-71 margin.

The Huskies came away wiht a 66-49 win in Houghton earlier this season behind Ali Haidar's 22 points and 15 rebounds.

Jake Heagen led the Oilers with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting.  He also hit 4-of-5 attempts from behind the three point line to go along with four rebounds and two steals.

Aaron Robinson also reached double figures with 12 points while Alphonso Baity added nine points off the bench.

The Oilers had trouble making shots as they hit only 34.6 percent (18-of-52) of their shots.  The Huskies meanwhile shot 47.7 percent (21-of-44) from the floor.

The University of Findlay

The University of Findlay men's basketball team claimed a 62-55 win over Ferris State University in the first round of the 2013 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) on March 6 in Croy Gymnasium.

The Oilers, who improved to 20-7 on the season with the win, shot 44.7 percent (21-of-47) from the floor and limited the Bulldogs to a 30.9 percent (21-of-68) shooting clip in the game.

Brad Piehl recorded 14 points and seven rebounds in the win while Greg Kahlig stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Jack Smith provided 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting off the bench while Alphonso Baity had ten points, three assists and three steals.

The Bulldogs received 15 points from Drew Lehman and 14 more from Kenny Brown.

For Findlay's 2012-13 season statistics, please click on the following link:

Season Statistics

For Findlay's 2012-13 roster, please click on the following link:

Roster

#24 Michigan Technological University

The Huskies are ranked 24th in the nation with a 20-7 record.  Ali Haidar has paced the team with averages of 25.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

Austin Armga and Ben Stelzer are also averaging in double figures at 12.1 and 11.6 points per game, respectively.

For Michigan Tech's 2012-13 season statistics, please click on the following link:

Season Statistics

For Michigan Tech's 2012-13 roster, please click on the following link:

Roster

Simply the Best

The Oilers have the best winning percentage in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 330 games and lost only 70 for an overall winning percentage of .824.

Scoring in Bunches

Junior forward Greg Kahlig is ranked fifth in the GLIAC in points per game as he is averaging 17.2 per outing.

The Oilers are averaging 72.1 points per game this season, the fourth best mark in the league.

Grand Theft

The Oilers are averaging 7.9 steals per game, which ranks third in the conference.

Sophomore forward Jake Heagen leads the team 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 (493) and free throw shooting percentage (78.8%).

The Oilers free throw shooting percentage is also the second best mark in the nation.

Individually, senior forward Brad Piehl ranks fourth in the conference with a 89.2 percent shooting mark from the charity stripe.  His free throw shooting percentage is also the tenth best mark in the nation.

Raining 3's

The Oilers have made 196 three pointers this season, the third best total in the GLIAC.

Junior forward Greg Kahlig leads the team with 58 made triples and is shooting 44.6 percent from long range, the fifth best mark in the GLIAC.

Pounding the Boards

The Oilers are averaging 36.1 rebounds per game, the third best total in the GLIAC.

Senior forward Brad Piehl leads the team with 6.1 rebounds per game.

Defense Wins Championships

The Oilers are holding their opponents to 62.4 points per game, which is the third best mark in the GLIAC.

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 28.2 percent shooting clip from long range, the fifth best mark in the nation.

1,000-Point Club

Junior forward Greg Kahlig reached the 1,000-point plateau in the Oilers 67-41 win over Lake Erie on Feb. 16.  Kahlig ranks 37th all-time with 1,094 career points and is chasing Tyson McGlaughlin (2002-05), who scored 1,134 points, for 36th place.

Senior guard Aaron Robinson also reached the 1,000-point plateau in Findlay's 74-66 win over Hillsdale on March 2.  Robinson ranks 42nd all-time with 1,004 career points.

Racking up the Victories

The Oilers have been playing basketball since the 1902-03 campaign and have amassed a 1,441-858-2 (.626) record since their initial season of competition.

A Tough Place to Play

The Oilers are 543-112 (.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 166-5 at home for a winning percentage of .971.

Dominating GLIAC Home Games

The Oilers have won 86 of their last 87 regular season 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.

The 20-Win Plateau

The Oilers have achieved 20 wins in each of the past 12 years and sport a sparkling 311-63 (.831) record since the 2001-02 campaign.

Conference Championships

The Oilers have won 11 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 12 years, the Oilers have won ten GLIAC South Division titles.  Overall, Findlay has won GLIAC South Division titles in 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013.

GLIAC Tournament Success

The Oilers sport a 26-6 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 19-0 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:

GLIAC

For more information on NCAA Division II men's basketball, please click on the following links:

NCAA Division II Basketball

D2hoops.net

D2basketball.com