Bulldogs Nip Oilers 62-61
The University of Findlay men's basketball team fell 62-61 at home to Ferris State University on March 1 in the opening round of the 2016 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament. The loss, which was their first GLIAC Tournament loss ever in Croy Gymnasium, gives the Oilers a 20-8 record on the year.
The Oilers struggled to make shots in the opening half and found themselves trailing by a 32-21 margin at the break. In the first half, Findlay made only 29.6 percent (8-of-27) of their shot attempts while the Bulldogs connected on 55.6 percent (15-of-27) of their tries. The Oilers also had 11 turnovers in the first half and made only 3-of-12 (25%) attempts from behind the three point line.
In the second half, the Oilers turned up the pressure on defense and forced the Bulldogs into 13 turnovers. The added defensive pressure allowed the Oilers to climb back into the game, eventually tying the game at 48-48 with 6:02 to play. Both teams then went back and forth with the Oilers taking a 61-60 lead with 17 seconds left on a pair of free throws from sophomore guard Martyce Kimbrough. The lead was short-lived however as Ferris State's Drew Cushingberry hit a runner in the lane with less than a second to play to give the Bulldogs the victory.
The Oilers ended the game by shooting 37.9 percent (22-of-58) from the floor while the Bulldogs connected on 58.7 percent (27-of-46) of their field goal attempts. Findlay forced 22 turnovers and came away with 13 steals in the game as well.
Kimbrough paced the Oilers with a career-high 30 points. He made 9-of-25 shot attempts from the field and canned 4-of-10 tries from long range. He also hit all eight of free throw attempts and chipped in three steals.
Senior forward John Staley had 12 points, four rebounds and a career-high four steals while sophomore guard Austin Gardner had eight points, two rebounds and two steals.
Sophomore forward Taren Sullivan added seven points and senior guard Dylan Kaufman grabbed a game-high ten rebounds.
The Bulldogs were led by Jared Stolicker's 15 points and seven boards.
The Oilers will now wait to see if they qualified for the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament. The selection show will take place on Sunday.
Notes: The loss was the Oilers first at home this season. They now have a 13-1 mark in Croy during the 2015-16 campaign. It was also the first time a team has beaten Findlay at home in the GLIAC Tournament. The Oilers now have a 22-1 mark in GLIAC Tournament games inside Croy Gymnasium.