Oilers Struggle in G-MAC Semifinal to End Season
Canton, Ohio – The University of Findlay women's basketball team saw their season come to an end on Friday, March 6 in the semifinals of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) basketball tournament at the hands of the second-seeded and 21st-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers. The Oilers lost the game by a score of 66-48 and end their season with an 18-12 record while KWC improves to 28-2.
After being swept by the Panthers in the regular season series, Findlay was attempting to prove that they could flip the script in the postseason. In the first quarter, the Oilers did just that, taking a five-point lead less than three minutes into the game. By the end of the opening period, the Orange and Black trailed by just one and had hit 57 percent of their shots.
From that point on, the game began to slip away. Findlay hit just 18 percent of their shots in the second quarter and turned the ball over seven times which led to the Panthers taking a 41-29 lead into the break.
Neither team shot the ball well in the third, but Findlay did close the gap, outscoring KWC 12-10. But, in the final period, Findlay hit just 19 percent of their shots and scored just seven points as they would go on to score just 48 points, their lowest point total in a game since scoring 47 against Michigan Tech in December of 2016.
Findlay shot 30.9 percent in the loss while Kentucky Wesleyan hit 32.4 percent. Rebounds were nearly identical with KWC holding a 39-38 advantage. Turnovers were a big factor in the game as the Oilers coughed up the ball 21 times, the tenth time this season that the Orange and Black eclipsed the 20-turnover mark. The Panthers committed just nine turnovers.
Sophomore Bridget Landin, who was named second team all-G-MAC at last night's award banquet, was the leading scorer for the Oilers as she poured in 20 points on 8-of-16 from the floor, her second consecutive 20-point performance. She also grabbed ten rebounds, had two steals, and two blocks.
Playing in her final game for the Oilers, senior Lauren Ruth scored 11 points and grabbed three rebounds.
Sophomores Paige Bellman and Amber Schweiger each scored six points while freshman Rachel Cooke scored three. Bellman had ten rebounds while Schweiger had six rebounds and five assists.
A first team all-conference honoree, sophomore Sydney Kin saw her streak of 20-point games snapped on Friday as she was unable to record a field goal and scored two points, both on free throws. She also had four rebounds.