Oilers Dominate Panthers on ESPN3
Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay women's basketball team again looked like a team that belonged atop the conference standings with a decisive 85-63 victory over the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers on Saturday, Jan. 27, a game which was broadcast on ESPN3. With the win the Oilers improve to 15-4 on the season with a 12-3 mark in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play while the Panthers fall to 11-8 overall and 7-8 in the league.
After a loss on Thursday in which Findlay struggled to gain any momentum, the Orange and Black shot out of the gate to the tune of an 11-0 lead just six minutes into the game. KWC would not score their first point until there was just 3:25 left on the clock and was held to just seven points in the entirety of the first quarter.
The Oilers' lead would balloon to 38-23 by the half and at game's end, the home team had secured a 22-point victory to reestablish themselves as a league title contender.
Ranked third in the country in shooting percentage entering the game, Findlay knocked in 25-of-52 from the floor for 48.1%, but it was from beyond the arc and at the free-throw line where the Oilers did their damage. The home team made good on 7-of-12 (58.3%) from beyond the arc, improving on their team three-point percentage of 39.9% which ranks second in the country. At the charity stripe, Findlay made a season-high 28-of-29 for 96.6% with seven players finished without a miss.
Six players reached double-figures for Findlay. Leading the way was senior Lynsey Englebrecht who scored 16 points on 4-of-8 from the floor. All four makes were from beyond the arc moving the sharpshooter into fourth place at Findlay for threes made in a season. The nation's leader in made threes per game has now drained 69 shots from deep. Englebrecht also had four rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Fellow senior Haley Horstman battled her way to a 15-point performance to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. Horstman, who made 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, now has 997 career points, three shy of becoming the 21st player in Oilers history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Juniors Anna Hintz, Elissa Ellerbrock, and Jenna Stegmaier scored 14, 11, and 10 points, respectively to round out the starting-five. Hints made 5-of-9 from the floor while Stegmaier led the squad with a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. Stegmaier also led the team with nine boards.
Junior Christa Puthoff also reached double-figures, scoring ten points off the pine. She made 5-of-9 from the field and grabbed two rebounds.
The Oilers are back on the road on Feb. 1 when they travel to Malone University to take on the Pioneers.