Oilers Advance to G-MAC Tournament Semifinals
Cedarville, Ohio – Reaching the century mark for the first time this season, the University of Findlay, ranked no. 8 in the region, women's basketball team advanced to the semifinal of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Tournament with a convincing 100-87 victory over Ohio Dominican University on Thursday, Mar. 1. With the win, the third-seeded Oilers advance to face -the second-seeded Walsh Cavaliers, who defeated Kentucky Wesleyan 75-67 earlier in the day. Findlay improves its record to 21-6 overall, including a perfect 3-0 against ODU this season, while the Panthers season ends with a record of 18-11.
Through ten minutes of play, Findlay trailed by three at 21-18, but the Orange and Black exploded for 33 points in the second quarter to take a 51-40 lead at the break. The Oilers made 15-of-20 shots from the floor, assisting on ten of those makes.
With four minutes left in the contest, the Oilers had built a 25-point lead, their largest of the game. The lead would hold the remainder of the contest, propelling the Orange and Black into the second round of tournament action.
Findlay shot 52.1% from the floor (38-of-73) while holding the Panthers to 45.2% (28-of-62). Rebounding was a big factor in the game as the Oilers held a 44-30 advantage in that category.
A day after being named first team all-conference, junior Anna Hintz delivered yet another standout performance. The North Fairfield, Ohio native made 9-of-12 shots from the floor and grabbed five boards to help guide the Oilers to the victory, their first postseason victory since the 2012-13 season.
Also scoring 20 points was senior Lynsey Englebrecht who drained 5-of-12 from deep, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out four assists. Englebrecht's five triples give her 100 for the season, making her just the second player in Oilers history, men or women, to reach that number. Fellow senior Haley Horstman poured in 14 points on 4-of-10 from the floor. She also led the squad with five assists.
Junior Christa Puthoff came off the bench to score 13 points on 4-of-6 from the floor while junior Jenna Stegmaier scored nine points and led the team with 11 rebounds. Stegmaier also had four assists in the win.
Findlay will play in the second round game tomorrow, Mar. 2 in Cedarville, Ohio. The game will tip off at 5:00 pm.