Turnovers Doom Oilers at Malone
Canton, Ohio – The University of Findlay women's basketball team suffered a loss in its' first road game of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) slate on Saturday, Dec. 3 at the hands of the Malone Pioneers. The 72-58 loss gives the Oilers a 3-4 record overall and an 0-2 mark in the conference while Malone improves to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the league.
Findlay took an early lead but still trailed by seven at the end of the first quarter. That deficit continued to grow, ultimately reaching a game-high 19-points with just two minutes remaining in the game. A 7-2 run by the Oilers to close the game ended the contest with a 72-58 final.
Neither team ever got hot from the floor as the Oilers made 20-of-50 (.400) while Malone hit 26-of-59 (.441). Rebounds were even at 32 apiece.
Turnovers were the big differentiator in Saturday's contest. The Oilers, have struggled with coughing it up so far in this young season, committed 20 turnovers while forcing Malone into 12. The Pioneers turned Findlay's 20 turnovers into 22 points while the Oilers picked up just eight points off turnovers.
Junior Kate Ellis, the Oilers' leading scorer this season, poured in 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting including a perfect 5-of-5 performance from the charity stripe. Ellis grabbed two rebounds and had two steals.
Sophomore Chloe Callahan scored 14 points on the strength of a 4-of-5 performance from three-point range. She was also the team's leading rebounder with a career-high six boards and added two assists.
Also scoring in double figures was sophomore guard Janae Hoying who came off the bench to shoot 3-of-7 from the floor. Hoying grabbed three rebounds and had two steals while freshman Mckenna Stephens had four rebounds, two assists, and three steals off the bench.
The Oilers are back in action on Thursday, Dec. 8 with a trip to Gannon University before another G-MAC game against Tiffin next Saturday.