Blackout Slated for Bellarmine Game on 11/24

The University of Findlay men's basketball team will host Bellarmine University, the 4th-ranked team in the country, for their home opener on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The Oilers are calling on fans to "Blackout" Croy Gymnasium by wearing black to the game.

History

The Knights, out of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, are a perennial power and finished last season with a 27-3 record and a Final Four appearance where they fell by three points to eventual national champion, Florida Southern.

When the Oilers met the Knights last season, they fell by a final score of 63-54. Those 63 points were Bellarmine's second lowest total of the year. Overall, Findlay and Bellarmine have played four times since their initial meeting during the 2001-02 season and have split those games with each collecting a pair of wins. The 2015 meeting will be just the third time the teams have met in the regular season as the two successful programs have had multiple clashes in the NCAA Division II tournament.

Oilers vs. Knights: 2009 (Video | Stats)

One of those matchups includes the game hosted by Findlay in 2009 that many argue is the greatest game ever played in Croy Gymnasium. The Oilers entered the game ranked as the best team in the country while the Knights were the #18 team. Findlay won that game by an overtime final of 89-86. 1,800 people packed the gym and saw Josh Bostic, the eventual Division II Player of the Year, drop 37 points, including 4-6 from behind the arc and 11-11 from the free-throw line, while Morgan Lewis collected 13 rebounds. The win gave the Oilers the Midwest regional championship and propelled them to a perfect 36-0 season, a national title, and a decade where Findlay won 84% of their games, the highest in the nation in that span.