Oilers Host D1 Rockets on Tuesday
The Oilers will host NCAA Division I foe Toledo in Croy Gymnasium for a charity exhibition game on Oct. 24 at 8pm. All proceeds from the event will go to the American Red Cross for their hurricane relief efforts.
Sights and Sounds
Get Your Oilers Gear Now!
The University of Findlay athletic department recently unveiled their new online store, shopoilers.com. The online store features more than 1,000 products for Findlay fans ranging from traditional apparel such as hats, t-shirts, and sweats to less common gift items such as jewelry, drinkware, technology skins and items for golfing, tailgating and in-home decor.
To access the store and get some new Orange and Black gear, please click below:
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Series Information
The Oilers have played the Rockets 29 times in the regular season dating back to the 1910-11 campaign when Toledo won by a score of 42-27.
Findlay trails in the all-time series by a 21-8 margin. The two programs last hooked up at the beginning of the 2014-15 season in an exhibition game in Toledo. The Rockets came away with a 101-72 victory in that contest.
The Rockets held a 45-23 advantage on the boards and also outscored the Oilers by a 46-32 margin in the paint. Toledo also hit 51.5 percent (35-of-68) of their shot attempts while Findlay converted 43.6 percent (24-of-55) of their field goal attempts, hitting only 4-of-22 (18.2%) tries from three point range.
Quaran Jones led the Oilers with 15 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the floor. He also hit all seven of his free throw attempts and added two rebounds in the game.
John Staley, Dylan Kaufman and Jake Heagen each posted nine points apiece.
Findlay
The Oilers were picked as the favorite to win the Great Midwest this season by the coaches within the league. Findlay, who reached the Sweet 16 last year and ended the 2016-17 campaign with a 25-7 record, received 121 points in the poll and a league-high 11 first place votes.
They will be led by senior guard Martyce Kimbrough and senior forward Taren Sullivan, who have each received preseason all-American accolades.
Kimbrough finished last season averaging 19.3 points per game. He set school records for most made three pointers (114) and most attempted triples (282) while shooting 40.4 percent from long range. His 617 points scored were also the eighth-highest total in school history.
Sullivan averaged 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He also shot a team-high 55.2 percent (233-of-422) from the floor and made a team-high 44.8 percent (64-of-143) of his three point tries.
Toledo
Toledo finished the 2016-17 campaign with a 17-17 record. Junior Jaelan Sanford returns to lead the team after posting 13.6 points, 3.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game last season. Sanford also connected on 65 three pointers and shot 39.2 percent from long range.
Junior Nate Navigato is back as well after averaging 9.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Navigato made a team-high 69 three pointers for Toledo last season and ended up shooting 40.8 percent from behind the three point line.
An Elite Program
The Oilers have one of the best winning percentages in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 416 games and lost only 105 for an overall winning percentage of .798. During that timeframe, the Oilers reached the Elite 8 in 2005, appeared in the Sweet 16 in 2008 and again in 2017, and won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2009 with a perfect 36-0 record.
20-Win Seasons
The Oilers have won 20 games in a season 15 times in the past 16 years. The streak started during the 2001-02 campaign when Findlay finished with a 23-7 season. The only year that they did not reach the 20-win plateau came during the 2014-15 campaign when they finished with a 16-11 record.
Overall, the Oilers have reached the 20-win plateau 25 times since the 1985-86 campaign, which spans a total of 31 seasons.
1,000-Point Club
Senior guard Martyce Kimbrough ranks 39th all-time at Findlay with 1,066 career points. He is chasing Tyson McGlaughlin for 38th on the all-time scoring list as McGlaughlin put up 1,134 career points from 2002-05. Senior forward Taren Sullivan is right behind Kimbrough and ranks 40th all-time at Findlay with 1,061 career points.
Kimbrough Tabbed a Preseason All-American
Senior guard Martyce Kimbrough was named a preseason NCAA Division II All-American by the DII Bulletin.
Kimbrough had a record-breaking junior season for the Oilers last year and helped lead them to a 25-7 record and their third appearance in the NCAA Division II Sweet 16.
An honorable mention All-American selection by the D2 Bulletin, Kimbrough finished the 2016-17 campaign with a scoring average of 19.3 points per game. His 617 points scored during the season ranks eighth all-time at Findlay and he broke school records for most made three pointers (114) and most three pointers attempted (282), all while shooting 40.4 percent from long range.
Kimbrough racked up first team all-region from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). He was also a first team all-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) pick and was voted to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional All-Tournament team.
A three-time GLIAC South Division Player of the Week (12/12, 2/20, 2/24), Kimbrough put up a season-high 41 points in the Oilers 105-87 win over Tiffin on Feb. 16. He set a school record by making 11 three pointers in the game. His performance led him to becoming the Oilers first men's basketball player to earn NCAA Division II National Player of the Week honors on Feb. 22.
Sullivan Tabbed a Preseason All-American
Senior forward Taren Sullivan was named a preseason NCAA Division II All-American by Street & Smith's.
Sullivan had an incredible junior season for the Oilers men's basketball team and helped lead the squad to the Sweet 16. The Lima, Ohio native ended the year with one of the best statistical seasons in the history of the Oilers storied program as he averaged 18.1 points, and a team-high 7.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He also shot a team-high 55.2 percent from the floor and 44.8 percent from behind the three point line.
A first team all-conference selection, Sullivan also earned second team all-region honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). He was also named to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team and earned second team all-region accolades from the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA).
Sullivan also set a Findlay record by being named the GLIAC South Division Player of the Week four times during the 2016-17 campaign. He earned the honor on Jan. 9, Jan. 23, Feb. 6 and Feb. 13.
Helpful Links
NCAA
NCAA Division II Stats
National Association of Basketball Coaches
G-MAC
NCAA Division II Basketball