Oilers Win G-MAC Debut | Take Down Ashland
Box Score
Postgame with Associate Head Coach Dan Shardo (88.3 WLFC – Tim Montgomery)
Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay men's basketball team opened up Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play on Thursday, Dec. 1 in Croy Gymnasium with a contest against the Ashland University Eagles. The Oilers trailed at halftime but used a big second half to come away with a 76-68 win to improve to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the G-MAC. With the loss, Ashland drops to 2-4 on the season and 0-1 in league play.
Ashland's largest lead of the first half was five, a 16-11 lead just seven minutes into the game. Neither team pulled away and the Eagles would ultimately take a 38-35 lead after 20 minutes.
With just four minutes remaining, the visitors held a 65-64, but a 7-0 run, capped with a dunk and-one by senior Deven Stover. Findlay made 6-of-7 free-throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Findlay had a good night from the floor, hitting 29-of-55 shots for 52.7% including 7-of-19 (.368) from deep. Ashland, on the other hand, hit just 28-of-67 for 41.8% and an ice cold 3-of-15 (.200) from beyond the arc.
Taking advantage of the possessions they did have was key for the Oilers as they would turn it over 14 times, allowing 15 points off turnovers. The Eagles also scored 17 second-chance points and 46 points in the paint, helping keep them in the game despite struggling from the field.
Senior Nathan Bruns put together another big-time game, leading the Oilers in scoring with 17 points on 7-of-10 from the floor. He also grabbed six rebounds, led the team with four assists, had one steal, and tied a career-high with three blocked shots.
Findlay's high-flyer Deven Stover scored 14 points on the night and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. He snagged six rebounds, had an assist, and a steal.
Also scoring in double-figures was senior Joey Edmonds who hit a pair of triples to score 12 points while senior Eisley Swaine scored nine points, led the team with seven rebounds, and had two assists. Freshman Max Roth and junior Cameron Shaw each scored six points and had two rebounds while freshman Jagger Landers scored five points, had three rebounds, and three assists.
The Oilers will hit the road this Saturday, Dec. 3 when they travel to take on Malone for the second G-MAC contest of the season. That game will tip off at 3:00 pm and can be heard on 88.3 WLFC or watched on the Great Midwest Digital Network.