Oilers Host Walsh Then Head to Malone
Findlay, OH – The University of Findlay women's basketball team will finish their current home stand with a game vs. Walsh on Thursday, Jan. 28 and will then head to Canton on Jan. 30 to take on Malone. Thursday's game will begin at 5:30pm in Croy while Saturday's contest will begin at 1:00pm.
Sights and Sounds
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Series Information
The Oilers and Caveliers will meet for the 18th time on Thursday. The first time these teams met was in the 1983-84 season where they faced off in the second round of the NAIA Playoffs. The Oilers won that game 69-66.
In last season's games, the two teams split with each team winning on its home floor.
It was the Oilers' worst shooting performance of the season that sent them to a 63-48 loss in the season's first meeting. Findlay shot 28.3% (17-of-60) for the game and just 11.8% (2-of-17) from deep. It was the fewest three's in a game for Findlay since Feb. 9, 2013 when they made just 2-of-16. Margaret Wuebker scored 12 for Findlay while Emily Molnar scored eight. Ciara Geiger scored seven and had six rebounds and four steals.
The next contest was much closer with the Oilers on the good side of a 62-61 game. Down one with five seconds on the clock, Kristin Klausing raced to the basket for a layup a flipped the ball in with 1.2 seconds on the clock to seal the win. Findlay forced 22 turnovers in that game. Geiger led the Oilers with 23 points while Haley Horstman scored 10.
When Findlay takes on Malone, it will be the 24th meeting of the Pioneers and Oilers. The first contest between the schools was played in the 1991-92 season with the Orange and Black winning that game 74-54. Since the first game, Findlay holds a 21-1 advantage in the series including a pair of wins last season.
In the first game, Findlay bolted out to a 22 point lead at halftime and cruised the rest of the way as they dominated the Pioneers in Croy Gymnasium by a final of 81-54.
Nikki Gunning scored 18 points in the first half and finished with her career-high of 20 on 6-of-9 shooting. She drained four three pointers and also added four rebounds and two assists.
Ciara Geiger and Margaret Wuebker also reached double figures in the win, scoring 11 and ten points, respectively. Geiger had three rebounds and two assists while Wuebker snatched eight boards in the win.
Karli Bonar had nine points on three triples while Lynsey Englebrecht produced nine points and five rebounds.
The second contest saw a much tighter game with Findlay leading by just seven at the half, but the Oilers held on to claim the 78-70 victory on the road.
Ciara Geiger led the Oilers with 20 points and seven rebounds while Nikki Gunning scored 15 points off the bench.
Karli Bonar did what she does best as she drilled four threes to finish with 12 points. Her four threes that game gave Bonar 69 on the year and set the new single-season record at Findlay as she passed the old mark or 68 set in 2008-09 by Maggie Gompers. Bonar finished the season with 71 threes made.
Findlay
The Oilers enter the contest with an 11-7 record overall and a 6-6 mark in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play. They find themselves in a bit of a skid as they have dropped four straight games and have lost six of their last seven after starting the season 10-1.
Findlay has three players scoring in double-figures and are led by sophomore Haley Horstman at 12.1 points per game. Senior Margaret Wuebker and junior Karli Bonar are scoring 10.8 and 10.3 points per game, respectively. Bonar's 49 made threes this season are the 28th best total in the country and she has helped the Oilers shoot 40.4% from deep, the fifth best mark in the country.
Freshman Anna Hintz is the team's leading rebounder with 6.2 rebounds per game. This is 15th in the GLIAC but is second among GLIAC freshman. She has 111 rebounds this season.
Walsh
The Cavaliers are currently 11-6 overall and 8-4 in the conference. They sit in third place in the GLIAC South, two games ahead of Findlay.
Walsh is coming off of a 30-point drubbing of Tiffin University, a game the Cavs won by a score of 80-50. Walsh drained 12 threes in the game on just 22 attempts to bury the Dragons. They were led by sophomore Alex Hochstedler who scored 17.
Senior Kesley Funderburgh is the leading scorer for Walsh and enters the game scoring 13.4 points per contest while Hochstedler is second with 11.0 ppg. Sophomore Brittini Clopton is near double-figures with her 9.7 ppg. Cloptons 7.5 rebounds per game are eighth in the GLIAC.
As a team, one of Walsh's strengths is on the offensive glass. They are grabbing 12.8 offensive rebounds per game (fourth best in the GLIAC) which is part of the reason they are putting up 64.1 shots per game (third best in the GLIAC). However, the biggest contributer to their ability to take so many shots is their ball protection. They only committ 13.1 turnovers per contest.
Malone
The Pioneers enter the week with a 5-12 record overall and a 2-10 mark in GLIAC play. They are currently in last place in the GLIAC South.
In their last game, Malone was on the short end of an 82-59 final at Ohio Dominican. Freshman guard Chrissie Vaughan led the way with 14 points while junior Rachel Goddard added 11.
Goddard is the team's leading scorer with 13.7 points per game while sophomore Alahna Singleton is second on the team with 12.7 per game. Vaughan is scoring 11.6 and senior Tara Schaffer is the last Pioneers player scoring in double-figures with 10.8. Schaffer is also grabbing 4.5 rebounds per game.
Senior Bri Libertore is the team's leading rebounder. She is collecting 6.6 per game.
Good news for the Oilers, Malone is ranked last in the GLIAC in opponents three point percentage, the very strength that the Orange and Black rely on to win games. However, the Pioneers can shoot the three as well and are second in the conference in three pointers made per game.
Bonar has made four or more threes in seven of the Oilers 18 games this season. Her season high was Jan. 21 vs. Ashland when she nailed six from deep.
In high school at Shadyside, Bonar set Ohio state records for most three pointers made in a season (110) and most made triples in a career (350).
Chasing 1,000 Career Points
Senior forward Margaret Wuebker is looking to become the Oilers 20th member of the 1,000-point club this season. Wuebker has scored 954 career points during her tenure with the program, leaving her 46 points shy of the 1,000-point plateau.
Hot Shooting
The Oilers have the third best shooting percentage in the GLIAC at 45.4%. Individually, senior forward Kelsey Lewis is first in the conference with a 58.4 percent shooting clip. The Oilers have shot over 50 percent from the field in seven of their 18 games this season.
Stroking 3's
The Oilers are hitting 40.4 percent of their three point tries this season, the best percentage in the GLIAC and the fifth best percentage in the nation. They have been led by sophomore guard Lynsey Englebrecht, who is hitting 52.7 percent of her long range attempts. The percentage is the best mark in the GLIAC. Karli Bonar is hitting on 41.5 percent of her tries from deep.
Defend the Rim
The Oilers are fifth in the GLIAC with 3.6 blocks per game. They have had six or more blocks in six games this season. Dec. 5 vs. Northwood was the season-high as they rejected nine shots.
Helpful Links
NCAA
NCAA Division II Stats
Women's Basketball Coaches Association
GLIAC
NCAA Division II Basketball