Oilers Win 3rd Straight, 73-63 over Panthers
The University of Findlay men's basketball team captured their third straight victory with a 73-63 win over Ohio Dominican University on Feb. 5 in Croy Gymnasium. The win gives the Oilers an 11-9 record on the season with an 8-8 mark in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play.
The Oilers closed the first half on a 6-0 run to go up 36-30 at the break and used that momentum early in the second half to extend their lead to 11 at 49-38 with 15:03 to play. Findlay then contained the Panthers for the remainder of the half, allowing Ohio Dominican to get no closer than six points in the final 15 minutes.
The Oilers shot 40.7 percent (24-of-59) from the floor and held a 42-31 advantage on the boards in the win. They also forced 16 turnovers and came away with nine steals in the game.
Senior forward Jake Heagen paced the team with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals while sophomore guard Ricardo Smith had 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
Junior forward John Staley almost had a double-double with ten points and nine rebounds while freshman guard Elijah Kahlig rounded out the Findlay players in double figures with ten points of his own.
Freshman guard Nick Ruthsatz contributed seven points and four assists while freshman forward Taren Sullivan had seven points and three boards.
The Panthers were led by Jesse Ward, who scored a game-high 23 points.
The Oilers will now prepare to battle Tiffin University on Saturday. The game is scheduled to tip at 3 p.m. in Tiffin, Ohio.