#21 Oilers Prepare to Battle #25 Lakers
The Oilers men's basketball team, ranked 21st in the nation, will face 25th-ranked Lake Superior State University in the first round of the 2014 NCAA Division II National Tournament. The game is scheduled to tip at 9:30 p.m. (Eastern) in Springfield, Mo on Saturday, March 15.
2014 NCAA Division II National Tournament Bracket
Ticket/Hotel Information
Anyone interested in attending the men's regional tournament in Springfield, Mo. should place your ticket request with the UF athletic department. The Oilers have been allotted a select number of tickets for the event, which is scheduled to begin on Saturday, March 15.
To reserve a ticket for the event, please contact Troy Berry in the athletic department at (419) 434-6684 or (419) 434-4663.
Fans looking to secure hotel accommodations should visit the following website, which will provide assistance to fans that are traveling.
Sights and Sounds
All Oilers basketball games can be heard on 88.3 FM "WLFC" or on the internet via their web site.
For links to live stats and video of the Oilers basketball games in the Midwest Regional Tournament, please visit the Drury University website.
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Series Information
The Oilers hold a 19-2 advantage in the all-time series against Lake Superior State dating back to the 1997-98 season when Findlay came away with a 68-57 win.
The Oilers defeated the Lakers by a score of 88-78 on Dec. 5 in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. in their first conference game of the season.
The Oilers shot 54.5 percent (30-of-55) from the floor and canned 8-of-19 (42.1%) shot attempts from behind the three point line. They also forced 16 turnovers and dished out 22 assists in the win.
Greg Kahlig led the way with 28 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He also drained 3-of-5 shot attempts from three point land and connected on 9-of-13 attempts from the charity stripe.
Alphonso Baity had a great game for Findlay, netting 17 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.
Derek Billing led the Lakers with 26 points.
The Rest of the Midwest
Drury vs. Wisconsin-Parkside
Drury (25-3) is the top-seed in the tournament and are the defending national champion. They will open the tournament against Wisconsin-Parkside (23-6), the eighth-seed.
The Oilers have a 0-1 record against Drury as the two teams met last season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Oilers shot 45.6 percent (26-of-57) from the floor and drained 11-of-31 (35.5%) shot attempts from behind the three point line. The Panthers, who won by a score of 89-77, made an incredible 67.4 percent (31-of-46) of their shots from the field and held a 52-24 advantage in points in the paint.
Greg Kahlig led the Oilers with 20 points on 5-of-14 shooting while Brad Piehl had 16 points and seven boards.
The Panthers were led by Brandon Lockhart's 21 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals.
The Oilers have a 4-0 record all-time against Wisconsin-Parkside dating back to the 1970-71 campaign when Findlay came out on top by a score of 82-73.
The two programs last met during the 2008-09 campaign as the Oilers were victorious by a score of 88-74.
Findlay shot 63.5 percent (33-of-52) from the floor and converted 16-of-17 (94.1%) attempts from the charity stripe. They also held the Rangers to a 44.6 percent (25-of-56) shooting clip in the win.
Individually, Josh Bostic led the way with 24 points while Morgan Lewis poured in 22.
Indianapolis vs. Bellarmine
Second-seeded Indianapolis (23-4) will battle seventh-seeded Bellarmine (23-7).
The Oilers are 2-1 all-time against Indianapolis dating back to the 2003-04 campaign when Findlay escaped with an 84-83 win in overtime during the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The two programs last met on the hardwood during the 2008-09 season and Findlay earned a 77-66 win to kick-off their undefeated, national championship run.
The Oilers forced 19 turnovers, which led to 15 steals, and grabbed 34 rebounds. 18 of those rebounds came on the offensive glass.
Lee Roberts led six Oilers in double figures with 14 points. He made 6-of-15 shots from the floor and also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds to go along with two swats.
Josh Bostic added 13 points, five steals and four rebounds while Tyler Sparks and Morgan Lewis chipped in 12 points apiece.
Southern Indiana vs. Michigan Tech
Third-seeded Southern Indiana (25-5) will face sixth-seeded Michigan Tech (22-7).
The Oilers are 1-1 against Southern Indiana dating back to the 2003-04 campaign when the Screaming Eagles knocked the Oilers out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round by a score of 75-67.
The two programs met again in the second round of the NCAA Tournament during the 2008-09 campaign and the Oilers came away with a convincing 81-59 win in Croy Gymnasium.
Josh Bostic led the Oilers with 25 points while Nathan Hyde swished five triples en route to 18 points.
Marcus Parker added 16 points and seven assists while Lee Roberts contributed seven points and a game-high ten boards.
Findlay holds an 18-7 advantage in the all-time series against Michigan Tech dating back to the 1997-98 campaign when Michigan Tech was victorious by an 81-71 margin.
The Oilers recently defeated Michigan Tech by a score of 69-63 to win the 2014 GLIAC Tournament Championship.
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.
Greg Kahlig led the way with 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Jake Heagen also played well for the Oilers and finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists while Dylan Kaufman had nine points and four assists in the championship game.
#21 Findlay
The Oilers are coming off of their third straight GLIAC Tournament title, the first time a school in the league has ever won three in a row.
Senior forward Greg Kahlig, the 2014 GLIAC Player of the Year and GLIAC Tournament MVP, leads the team and is averaging a Midwest Region best 24.6 points per game.
Junior forward Jake Heagen, a second team all-conference pick, is averaging 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while sophomore guard Dylan Kaufman is chipping in 10.7 points per outing.
Sophomore guard Alphonso Baity, who was selected to the GLIAC all-defensive team, is also averaging in double figures at 10.2 points per contest.
Findlay Basketball Links
#25 Lake Superior State
The Lakers are seeded fifth in the Midwest Region and have a 26-5 record on the season. They are coached by Steve Hettinga, who was named the 2014 GLIAC Coach of the Year.
Senior Derek Billing leads the team and is averaging 21.1 points, 3.4 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. The first team all-conference player is shooting 50.4 percent from the field and has also drained 89 three pointers on the year.
Senior Cameron Metz, also a first team all-conference performer, is averaging 16.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest while junior Alex Williams is chipping in 14.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Lakers. He was also tabbed second team all-conference and earned a spot on the GLIAC all-defensive team.
Lake Superior State Links
Tough Midwest Region
The Oilers are seeded fourth in a stacked Midwest Region. The region features four teams who have previously won a NCAA Division II National Championship. Drury University, the top-seed this season, is the defending national champion as they won the title last season. Bellarmine University, the seven-seed this year, won a title in 2011. The Oilers captured a national championship during the 2009 campaign and Southern Indiana University was crowned a champion during the 1995 season. Overall, the Midwest Region has seen a team make the finals 14 times in the past 20 years.
An Elite Program
The Oilers have the second best winning percentage in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 356 games and lost only 78 for an overall winning percentage of .820. During that timeframe, the Oilers reached the Elite 8 in 2005, appeared in the Sweet 16 in 2008 and won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2009 with a perfect 36-0 record.
GLIAC Player of the Year
Senior forward Greg Kahlig, who was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the top honor in the league, was voted the 2014 GLIAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year on March 3.
The Ft. Recovery, Ohio native led the Oilers to a 21-5 finish during the regular season and finished second in league history with a total of 537 points scored in conference games.
All-GLIAC
Senior forward Greg Kahlig earned first team all-conference honors for the second consecutive year as the league office unveiled their annual awards on March 3.
In addition, junior forward Jake Heagen was named second team all-conference and sophomore guard Alphonso Baity captured all-defensive team accolades for the Oilers.
GLIAC Tournament MVP
Senior forward Greg Kahlig was named the 2014 GLIAC Tournament MVP after leading the Oilers to their third straight title, the first time a school has done that in the history of the league.
Kahlig set GLIAC Tournament records for most points in a game with 55 against Walsh on March 8 and also set records for most made field goals in a game (19), most attempted field goals in a game (28), most made three pointers in a game (10) and most attempted three pointers in a game (17) during the contest.
The Ft. Recovery, Ohio native also established new GLIAC Tournament records for most points in a series (93), most made field goals in a series (31), most attempted field goals in a series (53) and most attempted three pointers in a series (30). He also tied the record for most made three pointers in a series by making 15 during the three-game set.
GLIAC All-Tournament Team
Junior forward Jake Heagen and sophomore guard Dylan Kaufman joined senior forward Greg Kahlig on the 2014 GLIAC all-tournament team. Heagen averaged 9.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while Kaufman sported averages of 8.0 points and 3.7 assists per contest.
1,000-Point Club
Senior forward Greg Kahlig is ranked fourth all-time at Findlay with 1,855 career points. He is chasing Jerry Carder (1965-68) for third place on the all-time scoring list as Carder registered 1,953 points during his tenure with the Oilers.
Kahlig scored a career-high and GLIAC record 55 points in the Oilers 104-74 win over Walsh on March 8. He has also had several other high scoring games this season as he put up 42 points against Walsh on Feb. 20, scored 40 points against Lake Erie on Feb. 15 and had 39 points against Lake Erie on Feb. 22. He has also scored 30 or more points ten times during his tenure with the program.
Getting Buckets
Senior forward Greg Kahlig is averaging 24.6 points per game this season, the best total in the GLIAC and the fourth highest mark in the nation. The Oilers have not had any player average over 20 points per game in a season since Greg Denecker put up 20.3 points per contest during the 1993-94 campaign.
As a team the Oilers are averaging 81.1 points per game, the second best mark in the conference. They put up a season-high 114 points in a win over Notre Dame (Ohio) on Dec. 21 in Croy Gymnasium. The point total was the most scored by a Findlay team since they defeated St. Mary's (Mich.) by a score of 120-70 on Dec. 15, 2001.
Climbing the Ladder
Senior forward Greg Kahlig has scored 714 points this season, the third highest total in school history. He is chasing Randy Kortokrax for the second highest total as Kortokrax scored 873 points during the 1986-87 campaign. Kortokrax also holds the top spot in Findlay's single season scoring list with 880 points, which he achieved during the 1985-86 season.
Kahlig for 3
Senior forward Greg Kahlig is ranked fourth all-time at Findlay with 213 career three pointers. Kahlig has knocked down 88 three pointers this year and is climbing his way up the Oilers all-time single season list in three pointers made as well. His 88 three pointers made this season is the second highest single season total in school history and he is chasing former UF All-American Nathan Hyde for the top spot as Hyde made 95 triples during the 2009-10 campaign.
The senior set new Findlay records by going 10-of-17 from three point range in the Oilers 104-74 win against Walsh in the semifinals of the GLIAC Tournament on March 8 in Croy Gymnasium. He also connected on nine triples in the Oilers 85-48 win against Ashland on Jan. 23 in Croy Gymnasium.
Getting to the Line
Senior forward Greg Kahlig is making 5.7 free throws per game on the season, the third best total in the GLIAC. He is also ranked third in the league in free throws attempted per game at 7.0.
Kahlig has made 166 free throws this season, the most an Oilers player has swished through the net since Randy Kortokrax made 183 during the 1986-87 season. For his career, Kahlig has made 446 free throws, the second highest amount in the program since the 1986 campaign.
Triple Your Pleasure
The Oilers are hitting 39.4 percent of their three point tries this season, the fifth best mark in the conference. Individually, sophomore guard Alphonso Baity leads the team with a 44.7 percent shooting clip from long range while senior forward Greg Kahlig is splashing down 43.1 percent of his attempts from long range.
Sophomore guard Dylan Kaufman has had the three point stroke going as well and is hitting 38.9 percent of his triple tries while junior forward Jake Heagen is connecting on 38.0 percent of his three pointers.
The Oilers are also making 8.2 three pointers per contest, the fifth best total in the GLIAC. Senior forward Greg Kahlig leads the team and ranks fourth in the conference with 3.0 made triples per contest. Sophomore guard Dylan Kaufman has made his fair share of triples as well and is knocking in 1.7 three's per game.
Defense Wins Championships
The Oilers are holding their opponents to a 41.1 percent shooting clip, the best mark in the league and the 25th best percentage in the nation. In addition, the Oilers are only giving up 68.4 points per game to their opponents, the fifth best mark in the league.
Playing Smart
The Oilers are only averaging 10.2 turnovers per game this season, the fourth best mark in the GLIAC. They are also staying out of foul trouble as they are only committing 14.9 fouls per contest, which is the best mark in the GLIAC and the tenth fifth total in the nation.
55!
Senior forward Greg Kahlig scored a GLIAC record 55 points in the Oilers 104-74 win over Walsh on March 8 in the semifinals of the conference tournament. He also set school and GLIAC Tournament records by going 10-of-17 from three point range in the victory. His 55 points is also the second highest total ever scored by a Findlay player in a game and the highest scoring mark in the history of Croy Gymnasium. His total also fell two points shy of the NCAA DII high this year, which was set by Kentucky Wesleyan's Lonnie Hayes (57).
40 is the Magic Number
Senior forward Greg Kahlig became the Oilers first men's basketball player to score over 40 points in two consecutive games when he put up 40 against Lake Erie (2/15) and 42 against Walsh (2/20). He nearly made it three games in a row with over 40 points, but ended a point shy with 39 against Malone (2/22).
Kahlig, 5xGLIAC Player of the Week
Senior forward Greg Kahlg was named the GLIAC South Division Player of the Week five times this year, the most an Oilers player has ever had in a season.
Kahlig first earned the honor on Nov. 20 for his performances in the Oilers first three games of the 2013-14 season. Kahlig averaged 21.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in wins over Marygrove, Cedarville and Wheeling Jesuit. He earned the honor again on Jan. 27 for his efforts in a pair of wins over Ashland and Lake Erie when he averaged 27.5 points, 5.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds per game in the two wins.
The Ft. Recovery, Ohio native collected the award on Feb. 10 after averaging 26.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in wins over Ohio Dominican and Tiffin. He did it again on Feb. 17 with averages of 28.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in wins against Ashland and Lake Erie.
Kahlig received the award for a fifth time on Feb. 24 after averaging 40.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in a pair of wins over #22 Walsh and Malone.
Racking up the Victories
The Oilers have been playing basketball since the 1902-03 campaign and have amassed a 1,467-864-2 (.628) record since their initial season of competition.
The 20-Win Plateau
The Oilers have achieved 20 wins in each of the past 13 years. The last time they failed to reach the 20-win plateau came during the 2000-01 campaign when they went 19-11.
100-Point Plateau
The Oilers have scored over 100 points three times this season. They put up 105 points in a win over Marygrove on Nov. 9 and also posted 114 points in a victory against Notre Dame (Ohio) on Dec. 21. They also poured in 104 points against Walsh on March 8.
The Oilers have scored over 100 points 178 times during the history of their program and sport a 172-6 (.966) record in those games.
Conference Championships
The Oilers have won 12 GLIAC South Division titles in their 17-year affiliation with the conference and have also won seven conference tournaments, capturing titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013.
In the last 13 years, the Oilers have won 11 GLIAC South Division titles. Overall, Findlay has won GLIAC South Division titles in 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014.
Dancing
The Oilers have appeared in 12 out of the last 13 NCAA Division II National Tournaments and have recorded a 16-10 record in those games. The team reached the Elite 8 for the first time in school history during the 2004-05 campaign and advanced to the Sweet 16 during the 2007-08 season. They then used that success to win a NCAA Division II National Championship during the 2008-09 campaign, finishing the year with a perfect 36-0 record. Their 36 wins as an undefeated national champion are the most in the history of NCAA Division II men's basketball.
GLIAC Tournament Success
The Oilers sport a 31-6 record in the GLIAC Tournament, winning titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Findlay has appeared in the championship game of the event ten times in the past 12 years. They reached the finals in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
The Oilers have captured eight GLIAC Tournament titles, the most in league history. Their win in the 2013 tournament gave them two in a row away from the friendly confines of Croy Gymnasium, the first time a school has ever won back-to-back championships on the road in the history of the GLIAC Tournament. Their victory in 2014 marked the first time a GLIAC school has won three straight tournament championships.
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: