Oilers Win 3rd Straight GLIAC Tourney Title, 69-63 over Huskies
The University of Findlay men's basketball team won their third straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament title with a 69-63 win over Michigan Technological University on Sunday, March 9 in Croy Gymnasium.
The Oilers have now won a GLIAC Tournament championship in each of the first three seasons under the guidance of head coach Charlie Ernst and their win over the Huskies marked the first time a school in the league has won three straight titles.
Findlay, who improved to 24-5 on the season with the win, will get an automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Division II National Tournament, which is slated to begin on Saturday, March 15. The Oilers opponent and their seeding in the tournament will be revealed tonight via the NCAA website.
The Oilers had to scratch and claw their way to a victory over the visiting Huskies, who drained 11 three pointers in the game. Findlay had a hot hand themselves however as they connected on 52.2 percent (24-of-46) of their shot attempts in the win.
Senior forward Greg Kahlig was selected as the tournament MVP and led the team with 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the win. His three-game tournament stretch of scoring 93 points (31.0ppg) enabled him to set a new GLIAC record for most points in series. The previous record of 84 points was set by former Findlay All-American Nathan Hyde during the 2010 campaign.
Kahlig also set GLIAC Tournament records for most made field goals in a tournament (31), most field goals attempted in a tournament (53) and most three pointers attempted in a tournament (30). He also tied Hyde by making 15 triples in the tournament, a record he established in 2010.
Junior forward Jake Heagen also played well for the Oilers and earned a spot on the all-tournament team with 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Heagen was joined on the all-tournament team by sophomore guard Dylan Kaufman, who had nine points and four assists in the championship game.
The Huskies were led by Austin Armga's 26 points. Ben Stelzer added 14 points as both players were named to the all-tournament team.
The Oilers have now won a GLIAC-best eight tournament titles. They have an all-time record of 31-6 in GLIAC Tournament games and are an impressive 22-0 at home in those contests.
2014 GLIAC All-Tournament Team
(MVP) Greg Kahlig, Findlay
Jake Heagen, Findlay
Dylan Kaufman, Findlay
Austin Armga, Michigan Tech
Ben Stelzer, Michigan Tech
Isiah Elliott, Malone
Photo by Matthias Leguire