Oilers Go Cold in Thriller Against Ursuline
Findlay, Ohio – A battle of Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) championship contenders did not end in the Oilers' favor on Saturday, Feb. 10 in Croy Gymnasium. Findlay dropped a nail-biter at the hands of the Ursuline College Arrows by a score of 67-65 to fall to 17-6 overall and 14-5 in conference play. The Arrows, meanwhile, improve to 18-6 overall and move into first place in the league with a 15-3 record in G-MAC games.
Findlay took their first lead of the game with 4:43 left in the contest when senior Lynsey Englebrecht made a layup to put the home team ahead 59-57. The Arrows then went on a 9-2 run to take a 66-61 lead with just 2:42 remaining.
The Oilers would pull to within one point at 66-65 with 45 seconds to play. Forced to foul, Findlay would get the ball back, trailing by two, with 12 seconds left. However, an offensive foul against junior Dana Fricke would give Ursuline possession, ending the contest.
Hampered by a 2-for-19 (10.5%) shooting performance in the first quarter, the Oilers shot just 26.8% from the floor, their lowest shooting percentage in a game since Jan. 3, 2016 when they shot 24.1% against Grand Valley State. Findlay made 19-of-71 shots against Ursuline while the visiting Arrows hit on 27-of-50 attempts for 54%.
Findlay, which trailed by 12 late in the first quarter, stayed in the game with free-throw shooting and offensive rebounds. The Oilers hit 22-of-25 from the charity stripe, limiting the Arrows to just 5-of-9, and grabbed the most offensive rebounds in a game this season at 24.
The Oilers were led by senior Haley Horstman who scored 19 points on a career-high 23 shot attempts. She also led the squad with five assists and three steals.
Junior Anna Hintz notched her 12th career double-double as she scored 18 points and tied a career-high with 15 rebounds. She made 3-of-14 from the floor but converted on 12-of-13 shots from the charity stripe which ties her career-best for free-throws made in a game.
Senior Lynsey Englebrecht also reached double-figures with 11 points. In the game, Englebrecht hit three triples which passes Trisha Lauch (1997-98) for the most three-pointers made in a single season in Findlay history. Englebrecht currently has 79 shots made from deep.
Junior Jenna Stegmaier corralled nine rebounds while junior Christa Puthoff grabbed five. Puthoff finished with four points, as well, while senior Emily Molnar had four points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Findlay has a short turnaround as they will host the other title contender in the G-MAC, Cedarville, on Tuesday, Feb. 13. That game will tip off at 8:00 pm.