Staley Leads Oilers Past Dragons

The University of Findlay men's basketball team went on the road and used a career game from junior John Staley to conquer Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) foe, Tiffin University by a 62-48 final. The Feb. 7 victory moves the Oilers record to 12-9 overall and 9-8 in conference play.

Findlay never trailed in the contest as they surged ahead from the opening tip. With the game tied at 7-7, the orange and black went on a 23-4 run over the next 11 minutes, pushing their lead to a commanding 30-11 with four and a half minutes to play in the half. They rode this lead into the break as their halftime lead was 34-19.

The Dragons battled to comeback but never got closer than ten points, 50-40 with 7:21 to play, and the visitors cruised to a victory that was punctuated with a thunderous Jake Heagen slam with 41 seconds to play. Once the dust settled, Findlay saw themselves on top 62-48 and sitting alone for second place in the GLIAC South.

The Oilers outplayed the Dragons in nearly every area as they shot 42.6% (20-47) and held the home team to just 38% from the field. Rebounding was close but Findlay held the edge 31-26. With these two slight advantages, Findlay's biggest statistical win was on defense as they forced 17 turnovers which turned into 24 points.

Staley, who has built a reputation as a tenacious competitor, dropped in a career high in points, scoring 20 on the strength of 8-12 shooting from the charity stripe and 6-9 from the field. The forward also grabbed seven rebounds to help lead his squad to a victory.

Junior Dylan Kaufman looked like the perimeter threat Oilers fans are used to as he banged home a trio of three pointers and finished with 11 points. The Berlin, Ohio native also collected a pair of steals and assists.

Heagen nearly had a double-double as he posted 10 points and eight rebounds in his 29 minutes of action.

Scoring nine points was sophomore guard Ricardo Smith who nailed just his second three-pointer of the season midway through the first half. Smith also had four rebounds.

The Oilers will return home for a battle of the top two teams in the GLIAC South as they welcome the Ashland Eagles to Croy Gymnasium on Feb. 12 for a contest slated to begin at 7:30pm.