Starters Shine in Win Over Walsh
Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay women's basketball team made it six wins in a row when, powered by 69 combined points from their starting-five, they earned a 73-60 win over Walsh University on Thursday, Dec. 7. The win keeps the Oilers in a tie atop the conference as they improve to 6-1 overall with a perfect 3-0 mark in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play while the Cavaliers fall to 5-4 overall and 2-1 in conference action.
Playing in their first home game of the season, the Oilers gave up the first eight points of the game, trailing 8-0 just two minutes into the contest. However, an 18-1 run would give the Orange and Black an 18-9 lead with just 2:42 left in the first quarter. By the end of the first ten minutes, Findlay held a commanding 25-13 lead and after a tightly contested second period, the Oilers took a 40-29 advantage into the locker room.
Both teams came out slow in the second half. Findlay outscored the Cavaliers 7-4 in the first 4:30 minutes of the period, but neither team scored a point over the next four minutes. Each team scored four points in the remaining 1:27 of the quarter which lead to a more fast-paced fourth quarter in which Walsh outscored Findlay 23-22.
Findlay, which ranks third in the country with a field goal percentage of .503, improved on their gaudy shooting numbers, making 29-of-54 (.537) that included 8-of-17 (.471) from beyond the arc.
The stout Oilers defense, which collected nine steals, forced Walsh into 23 turnovers and picked up four blocked shots in the win. Rebounds were fairly even with the Cavs holding a slight edge at 33-31 while Findlay held the small advantage with 15 assists compared to 14 for Walsh.
The Oilers got a monster game from junior Anna Hintz who picked up the ninth double-double of her career. Hintz scored 18 points on 8-of-13 from the floor while grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds. She also dished out four assists, had two steals, and added a blocked shot in the stat-stuffing effort.
Findlay's leading scorer was senior Lynsey Englebrecht who drained three balls from deep in a 19-point effort. She also grabbed four rebounds and had four assists while fellow senior Haley Horstman scored 17 points and also picked up four assists. Horstman contributed a pair of rebounds and three steals as well.
Junior Elissa Ellerbrock quietly put together a good game as well, tying a career-high with 13 points on a perfect 5-of-5 effort from the floor that included a pair of shots from beyond the arc. Ellerbrock also grabbed four rebounds while Findlay's fifth starter, junior Jenna Stegmaier, snagged two rebounds, had three steals, and a blocked shot to go along with two points.
The Oilers, which are a perfect 5-0 when they have four players score in double figures, will return to the court on Saturday, Dec. 9 when they take on Canton's other G-MAC team, the Malone Pioneers. That game will tip at 3:00 pm.