Eagles Knock Oilers out of GLIAC Tourney
The University of Findlay men's basketball team, ranked 18th in the nation, lost 100-69 against Ashland University on March 4 in Big Rapids, Mich. The loss knocked the Oilers out of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament and dropped their record to 23-6 on the year.
The Eagles came out on fire in the first half as they hit 12-of-16 attempts from three point range. The marksmanship allowed them to build a 52-29 lead at the break, the Oilers largest halftime deficit of the season. Ashland did not let up in the second half as their torrid shooting pace continued and vaulted them into the finals of the GLIAC Tournament.
The Eagles ended the game by hitting 66.7 percent (36-of-54) of their field goal attempts. They also knocked down 21-of-29 (72.4%) shot attempts from behind the three point line, which established a new GLIAC Tournament record.
The Oilers meanwhile connected on 40 percent (26-of-65) of their shot attempts and were only 4-of-18 (22.2%) from long range. They were also out-rebounded by a 37-23 margin and did not hold a lead in the game.
Junior guard Elijah Kahlig led the way with a career-high 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting. He made all seven of his free throw attempts and canned 2-of-5 from three point range.
Junior forward Taren Sullivan added 17 points, six assists and four rebounds while senior forward Tyler Stern-Tucker had nine points, three assists and three steals.
The Oilers will now wait to see if they were selected to appear in the 2017 NCAA Division II National Tournament. The selection show will air on ncaa.com at 10:30 p.m. on March 5.