Oilers Battle Cardinals, But Fall 82-75
The University of Findlay men's basketball team lost 82-75 against Saginaw Valley State University on Jan. 8 in University Center, Mich. The loss gives the Oilers a 5-6 record on the season with a 2-5 mark in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
The Oilers, who trailed by 14 points at 60-46 with 11:07 remaining, cut the lead to two points at 64-62 when freshman guard Elijah Kahlig drained a triple with 3:42 to play. The Cardinals quickly answered the Oilers run however as they built their lead back to 11 points at 74-63 with only 1:33 showing on the clock. Saginaw Valley State then took care of business down the stretch at the free throw line and improved to 7-0 in conference play.
Findlay shot 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the floor and hit 12-of-26 (46.2%) of their three point attempts. The Cardinals meanwhile connected on 29-of-55 (52.7%) of their field goal attempts and held a 46-26 advantage in points in the paint.
Senior forward Jake Heagen led the Oilers with a season-high 22 points and seven rebounds.
Kahlig posted a career-high 17 points on the strength of a 5-of-7 showing from the three point line while freshman forward Taren Sullivan also reached a career-high with 12 points off the bench.
Sophomore guard Ricardo Smith had seven points, five rebounds and four assists while junior guard Dylan Kaufman recorded seven points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Cardinals were led by a trio of players in C.J. Turnage, Kellen Smith and Garrett Hall, who each had 15 points in the game.
The Oilers will be at Hillsdale College on Saturday for another tough GLIAC contest on the road. The game is scheduled to tip at 3 p.m.