Oilers Survive in OT | Win 79-78 at Cedarville
The University of Findlay men's basketball team survived in overtime on Dec. 16 in Cedarville, Ohio, winning 79-78 against the Yellow Jackets. The win, which was their seventh straight, pushed their record to 11-2 on the year with a 6-0 mark in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC).
The Oilers held a 71-65 lead with just over a minute to play in regulation, but Cedarville rallied on their home floor and hit a three with five seconds remaining to make the score 74-74. Junior guard Trey Smith then raced the other way, but his shot was blocked to force overtime.
Both teams traded punches in overtime and the Oilers eventually gained the advantage as they possessed the ball in the final seconds with VF the score tied 78-78. Senior guard Elijah Kahlig then missed a three pointer, but sophomore forward Aaron Overhiser grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled in the process. Overhiser then split a pair of free throws and Cedarville was unable to get a shot off at the buzzer as the Oilers escaped with the victory to remain undefeated in league play.
The Oilers converted 31-of-69 (44.9%) attempts from the field and only hit 7-of-30 (23.3%) tries from three point range. The Yellow Jackets meanwhile made 49.1 percent (28-of-57) of their field goal attempts and canned 9-of-21 (42.9%) tries from three point land.
Senior guard Martyce Kimbrough led the offense with 18 points while Kahlig had 14. Senior forward Taren Sullivan also reached double figures with 11 points.
Smith ended the game with nine points while Overhiser contributed eight.
Patrick Bain led the Yellow Jackets with a game-high 33 points.
The Oilers will return home to host Alderson Broaddus University at 6pm in Croy Gymnasium on Tuesday, Dec. 19.