Findlay Wins Overtime Thriller | Remains Unbeaten in the G-MAC
Findlay, Ohio – For just the seventh time in the 40 year history of the program, the University of Findlay Oilers have won 12 consecutive games. Findlay remains perfect in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play at 9-0 and improves to 12-1 overall following a 92-88 overtime win over Ohio Dominican on Tuesday, Jan. 2. With the loss, the Panthers fall to 9-4 overall with a 5-2 mark in league action. The win over Ohio Dominican marks the first time the Oilers have swept the Panthers in the regular season series since the 2012-13 season.
Findlay, which remains in first place in the G-MAC following the win, largely controlled the game as they trailed for just 33 seconds through the first three and a half quarters of play, although their lead was never more than seven points.
In the final 3:10 of the regulation, the teams were tied three times and battled through three lead changes. The Panthers tied the game at 72-72 on a triple. Junior Jenna Stegmaier converted a layup to give Findlay the lead, but another ODU three game the visitors the lead. Junior Allie Thobe then made a layup to take back the lead at 76-75, but a third straight possession ended in a deep ball for the Panthers to tie the game at 78-78. Following a jumper by the Panthers with 1:11 on the clock, senior Lynsey Englebrecht, who today earned G-MAC Player of the Week, drove to the basket with five seconds and was fouled. She nailed both tries from the charity stripe to send the game into overtime.
The defining moment in the overtime period came with 2:21 on the clock when Englebrecht did what she has done all season, nailed a shot from beyond the arc, and gave Findlay an 88-84 lead. The Oilers would ride that momentum to the four-point win.
All five starters would reach double-figures for the Oilers in the thrilling victory. Leading the way was senior Haley Horstman who scored 20 points on 8-of-16 from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. She also grabbed five rebounds and tied a career-high with eight assists.
Junior Anna Hintz picked up the tenth double-double of her career, scoring 19 points and collecting a career-high 15 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive end.
Senior Lynsey Englebrecht struggled by her standards from deep, making 2-of-6 from beyond the arc, but drilled a career-best 7-of-8 from the free-throw line to help her reach 17 points. She also had five rebounds, three assists, and a career-high four steals.
Rounding out the double-figure scorers were juniors Elissa Ellerbrock and Jenna Stegmaier who each scored ten points. Ellerbrock made a pair of shots from deep and added an assists and a steal while Stegmaier had three assists and two steals. Both players grabbed five rebounds.
Three Panthers scored 20 or more points in the game. Darian Rose scored 23 on 4-of-4 from deep, Emily Thomas scored 21 on 5-of-9 from deep, and Sarah Futscher scored 20 on 8-of-11 from the floor.
Findlay does not have much time to rest as they travel to take on the only other conference unbeaten, Ursuline College on Thursday, Jan. 4. That game will tip off at 5:30 pm.