Oilers Hit the Road, Face Cardinals and Chargers
The Oilers will hit the road to face Saginaw Valley State and Hillsdale this weekend in GLIAC play. The Oilers will play the Cardinals on Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. and then face the Chargers on Jan. 10 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:
The University of Findlay will also broadcast all of their home basketball games on the internet. The Oilers will also provide live stats for their games as well. The video link is below:
Live stats will also be available for all contests. A link to retrieve the live stats can be found on the schedule page of the website.
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
Follow the Oilers on social media to keep up with all the exciting news surrounding UF athletics.
Live stats will also be available for all contests. A link to retrieve the live stats can be found on the schedule page of the website.
Series Information
The Oilers hold a commanding 19-2 lead in the all-time series against Saginaw Valley State dating back to the 1992-93 campaign when the Cardinals were victorious by a score of 75-67.
The Oilers won an 80-79 overtime thriller against the Cardinals last season in Croy Gymnasium. Findlay held a 17-point lead midway through the second half, but needed the extra session to put away Saginaw Valley State. Greg Kahlig led the team with 24 points while Jake Heagen recorded 18 points, five boards and a pair of blocks.
The Oilers currently own a commanding 47-8 advantage in the all-time series against the Chargers dating back to the 1959-60 campaign when Findlay won 90-59.
The two programs played three times last season with Findlay winning two of those contests. They claimed a 74-71 win behind 29 points from Greg Kahlig in their first matchup of the regular season before falling 86-67 at Hillsdale later in the year.
The programs then met in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament, which Findlay won by a score of 67-47. Kahlig led the way with 16 points.
Findlay
The University of Findlay men's basketball team snapped a four-game GLIAC losing streak with a 75-67 win over Grand Valley State University on Jan. 4 in Croy Gymnasium. The win gave the Oilers a 5-5 record on the season with a 2-4 mark in conference play.
The Oilers shot a season-high 60.5 percent (26-of-43) from the floor and canned 10-of-21 (47.6%) shot attempts from behind the three point line. They also held the Lakers to a 43.8 percent (28-of-64) shooting clip and dished out 15 assists in the win.
Ricardo Smith led the team with a career-high 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting. He also recorded seven rebounds and five assists in the game.
Jake Heagen stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Tyler Stern-Tucker came off the bench to provide 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting.
Nick Ruthsatz also reached double figures in the game with ten points while John Staley contributed eight points.
Saginaw Valley State
The Cardinals are 9-2 on the year with a perfect 6-0 record in conference play. C.J. Turnage leads the team with averages of 16.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Garrett Hall and Damon Bozeman are also averaging in double figures on a nightly basis at 13.5 and 12.8 points per game, respectively.
Hillsdale
The Chargers are 7-3 on the season with a 5-1 record in GLIAC games. Kyle Cooper is having a monster season for Hillsdale and sports averages of 24.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
Stedman Lowry is also scoring in double figures and is averaging 12.4 points per contest.
1,000-Point Plateau
Senior forward Jake Heagen became the Oilers 43rd member of the 1,000-point club with 14 points in the Oilers 85-50 win over St. Andrews on Dec. 19. Heagen has now scored 1,023 points in his career and is chasing Lee Roberts for 41st place on the all-time scoring list at Findlay. Roberts recorded 1,024 career points from 2006-09.
Making Shots
Junior forward John Staley is leading the GLIAC in field goal shooting percentage as he is connecting on 71.9 percent of his attempts this year.
In addition, sophomore forward Tyler Stern-Tucker ranks fifth in the league with a 59.7 percent shooting clip.
Racking up the Victories
The Oilers have been playing basketball since the 1902-03 campaign and have amassed a 1,472-870-2 (.628) record since their initial season of competition.
Conference Championships
The Oilers have won 12 GLIAC South Division titles in their 17-year affiliation with the conference and have also won eight conference tournaments, capturing titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
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.
A History of League Excellence
The Oilers have had a total of 23 first team all-conference performers since joining the GLIAC during the 1997-98 campaign. Additionally, 13 more players have earned second team all-conference accolades.
Findlay has also been fortunate enough to have three players who were named the GLIAC Player of the Year. Greg Kahlig (2014), Josh Bostic (2009) and Dustin Pfeifer (2006) all earned the award during their senior seasons with the Oilers. Pfeifer was also tabbed the GLIAC Freshman of the Year in 2003 while Marcus Parker earned the honor for Findlay in 2007.
Former head coach Ron Niekamp was recognized as the GLIAC Coach of the Year five times during his career. He earned the award in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009. His five coach of the year awards are tied for the most in league history.
Helpful Links
NCAA
NCAA Division II Stats
National Association of Basketball Coaches
GLIAC
NCAA Division II Basketball