Oilers Get Hot | Weather the Storm
Findlay, OH – The University of Findlay women's basketball team was locked in from tip off and cruised to victory over the Storm of Lake Erie College on Saturday, Jan. 21. The Oilers used hot shooting and solid defense to earn an 84-56 victory, the largest margin of victory in a league game for the Orange and Black since a 31-point win over Lake Erie on Jan. 19, 2013. Findlay improves to 9-10 overall and 3-8 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play while Lake Erie falls to 7-11 overall and 5-7 in league play.
The game was back and forth for the first seven minutes with the Oilers holding a 14-12 advantage. They closed the quarter with an 11-0 run to lead 25-12 after one. That momentum continued and Findlay took a 46-22 lead into the break and at one point in the fourth quarter, had a 35-point lead, their largest of the game.
Findlay's defense was as good as it has been all year as they held the Storm to their lowest shooting percentage of the year at 25.9% (15-for-58) while the home team hit 32-of-60 for 53.3% including a season-high 12 made shots from deep. The Oilers dominated on the boards, holding a 48-26 advantage. They also held significant advantages in assists (20-6), second chance points (26-10), and points in the paint (26-14).
For just the second time this season, four players scored in double-figures for the Oilers. They were led by senior Karli Bonar who, after missing the previous game with a fractured foot, scored a season-high 19 points on the strength of six shots made from three-point land, tying a career-high for threes in a game. Junior Lynsey Englebrecht was also hot from deep as she made five threes for 15 points.
Sophomore Christa Puthoff picked up her third double-double of the year with 12 points and 11 rebounds, five of which were offensive boards. She made 6-of-7 from the floor. Fellow sophomore Anna Hintz also collected 11 rebounds, tying a career-high.
The final player in double-figures was junior Haley Horstman who scored 10 points on 5-of-9 from the floor. She narrowly missed a double-double as she grabbed a career-high nine rebounds.
Findlay is back on the court on Thursday, Jan. 26 when they travel to Tiffin University to take on the Dragons in a game set to begin at 5:30 pm.