#16 Oilers, #10 Knights to Battle on Sunday
The 16th-ranked Oilers men's basketball team will have a big NCAA Division II Midwest Region game against 10th-ranked Bellarmine University on Sunday, Nov. 23 in Louisville, Ky. The game is scheduled to tip at 3 p.m.
Sights and Sounds
All Oilers basketball games can be heard on 88.3 FM "WLFC" or on the internet via their web site.
You can listen to the broadcast by clicking on the following link:
Live stats and video will be available for the game against the #10 Knights as well. Click on the below links for live stats and video.
Center Court with Charlie Ernst
Don't forget to tune into 88.3 FM "WLFC" for Center Court with Charlie Ernst. The radio show will be broadcast live from Fricker's on Monday evenings during the season. The show will be aired live from 6-6:30 p.m. Fans are encouraged to attend the show so they can listen live over the sound system and enjoy the great food Fricker's has to offer.
Fans are also encouraged to send questions in for coach Ernst through Twitter. Please send questions during the show to Tim Montgomery and Jason Granger at @Oilersonair.
For more information on Fricker's, please click below:
Follow the Oilers on Social Media
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Series Information
The Oilers hold a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series against the Knights dating back to the 2001-02 campaign when Findlay came out on top by a score of 93-85 behind 24 points from Kyle Hunt.
The Oilers also defeated the Knights in the regional final during their 2009 NCAA Division II National Championship run by a score of 89-86 in overtime. Former UF standout Josh Bostic led the way with 37 points while Tyler Evans came off the bench to provide 14 points.
The two programs last met in the second round of the NCAA Division II National Tournament during the 2011-12 campaign. The Knights prevailed in the most recent matchup, winning 86-63 in Knights Hall.
The Oilers shot 40 percent (24-of-60) from the floor and canned 8-of-23 (34.8%) shots from behind the three point line. Bellarmine meanwhile connected on 57.1 percent (32-of-56) of their field goal attempts and drained 9-of-22 (40.9%) shots from long range.
Kyle Caiola led the team with 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting. He also hit all four of his shots from three point distance in the game. The Knights were led by Keisten Jones' 20 points and eight rebounds.
Findlay
The UF men's basketball team opened their season with a 96-77 win over Cedarville on Nov. 18 in Croy Gymnasium.
The Oilers shot 57.1 percent (36-of-63) from the floor in the game and limited the Yellow Jackets to a 35.4 percent (29-of-82) shooting clip. Findlay did most of their damage around the basket, out-scoring Cedarville by a 60-30 margin in the paint.
Dylan Kaufman paced the Oilers with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He also added four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in the win.
Jake Heagen stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal while John Staley poured in a career-high 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
Tyler Stern-Tucker added a career-high 16 points and six boards while Quaran Jones came off the bench to provide six points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
Ricardo Smith chipped in six points, five rebounds and five assists and Elijah Kahlig contributed five points, five rebounds and two assists in his first game.
Bellarmine
The Knights are 2-0 on the season and ranked 10th in the nation.
Bellarmine began the year with two wins against GLIAC opponents. They defeated Northwood by a score of 84-67 and then defeated Saginaw Valley State by a score of 81-71.
The Knights have been led by Jake Thelen, who is averaging 18.0 points per game. He is also grabbing 14.5 rebounds per contest and is shooting 68.0 percent from the floor.
Josh Derkesen is scoring 17.5 points per game while Rusty Troutman is chipping in 12.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per outing.
Josh Sewell is also averaging in double figures, scoring 11.5 points per game.
Dominating the Paint
The Oilers dominated inside against Cedarville in their first game of the season, scoring 60 of their 96 points in the painted area. Because of the Oilers ability to score near the basket, they shot 57.1 percent (36-of-63) from the floor in their 96-77 win.
Reaching Milestones
Junior forward John Staley and sophomore forward Tyler Stern-Tucker each produced career-highs in points scored during the Oilers opening game against Cedarville on Nov. 18. Staley scored a career-high 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting while Stern-Tucker had a career-high 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
Sophomore center Quaran Jones also produced a career-high with 11 rebounds in the game.
1,000-Point Plateau
Senior forward Jake Heagen will look to become the Oilers 43rd member of the 1,000-point club this season. Heagen has currently scored 907 points during his career at Findlay.
Racking up the Victories
The Oilers have been playing basketball since the 1902-03 campaign and have amassed a 1,468-865-2 (.628) record since their initial season of competition.
An Elite Program
The Oilers have the second best winning percentage in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 357 games and lost only 79 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.
Preseason Accolades
Senior forward Jake Heagen was picked as a preseason first team all-conference performer. He returns to lead the team after posting averages of 12.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game for the Oilers last season. He was named second team all-conference and also earned a spot on the GLIAC all-tournament team during the 2013-14 campaign.
Preseason GLIAC Poll
The Oilers were picked to win the GLIAC South Division this season after receiving a league-high 125 points in the poll, which included 13 first place votes.
Findlay won their third consecutive GLIAC Tournament title last season, the first time a program has ever won three straight in league history, and completed the year with a 24-6 record. They qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament, but were upended by Lake Superior State in the opening round.
Helpful Links
NCAA
NCAA Division II Stats
National Association of Basketball Coaches
GLIAC
NCAA Division II Basketball