Flyers Edge Findlay 76-69
The University of Findlay men's basketball team gave the University of Dayton all they could handle in a sold out exhibition game on Nov. 4 at UD Arena, but were upended by a score of 76-69.
The Oilers jumped out to a 26-10 lead in the first ten minutes of the game and took a 41-34 lead at the break. Findlay then continued their stellar play into the second half before Dayton finally took their first lead with only eight minutes remaining. Overall, the Oilers held a lead on the Flyers, who are ranked 27th in the nation at the NCAA Division I level, for the first 32 minutes of the game.
Down by three at 68-65 with just over three minutes to play, junior forward Taren Sullivan stepped to the line and canned a couple of free throws to make the score 68-67 in favor of the Flyers. Dayton then came right back with five straight points before senior forward Tyler Stern-Tucker scored to cut the lead to four at 73-69 with 1:32 to play. Dayton would then hold the Oilers scoreless down the stretch and added to their lead at the free throw line for the final margin.
The Oilers shot 41.3 percent (26-of-63) from the floor and made 9-of-24 (37.5%) attempts from behind the three point line. In comparison, the Flyers shot 47.4 percent (27-of-57) from the floor and made 5-of-13 (38.5%) shot attempts from long range. The Flyers also held a huge advantage at the free throw line, making 17-of-31 (54.8%) attempts while the Oilers only got to the line ten times, making eight of those tries.
Sullivan paced the Oilers 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting. He also grabbed eight boards which helped the Oilers hold a 39-37 advantage on the glass during the game.
Stern-Tucker played well off the bench with 14 points and eight rebounds while senior guard Ricardo Smith and junior guard Martyce Kimbrough each chipped in eight points apiece.
Junior guard Austin Gardner contributed seven points, four assists and three rebounds while sophomore forward Alex White and junior guard Elijah Kahlig had five points apiece in the loss.
The Flyers were led by Charles Cooke, who had a team-high 19 points.
The Oilers will return home and prepare for their home opener against Illinois-Springfield on Nov. 13. The game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in Croy Gymnasium.