Men’s basketball sits at second in G-MAC halfway through conference play

Home Big Grid - Home Men’s basketball sits at second in G-MAC halfway through conference play
Men’s basketball sits at second in G-MAC halfway through conference play

The 17th ranked Findlay Oilers (17-2, 11-0 G-MAC) defeated the Hillsdale Chargers (13-4, 7-3 G-MAC), 59-50 at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena on Saturday.

In a battle between the top two teams in the G-MAC conference, defense defined the game. Both teams shot 42 percent from the field and 25 percent from three point in a tight game that featured 10 lead changes.

“Both teams did what they did night in and night out. It was a defensive battle,” assistant coach Ryan Choiniere said.

The stat sheet columns looked like mirror images save two categories: turnovers and bench scoring. Hillsdale had trouble taking care of the ball against Findlay, allowing 16 points off of 16 turnovers. Findlay’s bench scored 12 points to Hillsdale’s six bench points.

It was the second game that head coach John Tharp missed after the death of his father.

“It’s hard any time a part of your team is missing, but our guys have responded well for the most part,” said Choiniere, who is acting as head coach. “We are happy to be all together.”

Senior guard Stedman Lowry led the Chargers in scoring and rebounds with 15 points and eight rebounds, making three of the team’s four three pointers. Junior forward Nick Czarnowski had 13 points and six rebounds.

Findlay’s high-scoring senior duo of first team all-GLIAC forward Taren Sullivan and All-American guard Martyce Kimbrough led the Oilers to victory. Sullivan scored 16 points and added five rebounds and Kimbrough had 12 points and six rebounds.

At halftime the game was tied at 28. With 7:33 left in the game, senior guard Ryan Badowski made a free throw to cap a three point play and give the Chargers a 47-42 lead. During the rest of the game the Oilers’ slick defense prevented the Chargers from making another three-point field goal and forced nine late turnovers.

“We didn’t execute to the level we normally do or want to do,” Choiniere said. “It was more self-inflicted.”

A layup and a three-pointer on consecutive plays by Findlay senior guard Elijah Kahlig gave Findlay a 51-47 lead with three minutes left. The onslaught continued with field goal with a minute left by Sullivan, placing the game out of reach for Hillsdale.

The Chargers return to action with their head coach Thursday at Ohio Valley University at 7:30 p.m.