UF men improve to 6-1 with win over Pioneers

FINDLAY --In a 103-84 victory, the University of Findlay was able to avenge last season's home loss, taking down Malone University in a shootout. The teams combined to attempt 50 three-pointers, with Findlay shooting six-percent better from distance. Leading that charge was forward Will Aljancic, who netted four from downtown. Aljancic led the team with 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, looking every bit of the go-to scorer that he has proven to be this season. "Will is a very tough kid, with tremendous self-confidence," UF coach Charlie Ernst said. "No matter how much you work at it, it's hard to teach those things. Now, we have other tough guys, but I'm not sure anybody has the self-confidence that he does."Last season, Malone defeated Findlay 74-72 in Croy Gymnasium, winning off of a controversial call at the end of the game. They used hot shooting from Simon Blair in that game (22 pts, 3 three-pointers) to overcome the Oilers. He was a focal point for UF this time around. Blair finished with just 4 points and 7 assists, going 2-for-7 from the field. "Simon Blair's a tremendous point guard," Ernst said. "To hold him to four points. He had seven assists, only one turnover, but he had just four points. He's a big key to their team, he's kinda the engine that makes them go.""He's a heck of a player," Ernst continued. "We had tremendous respect for him coming into tonight. We've prepared for him all week. And that's a testament to being a really good player, when teams have to prepare for you."Blair's lack of scoring allowed for Malone's other two guards to look for the basket quite a lot in Thursday's contest. Edward Wright II went 4-of-6 from outside, finishing with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. Tre Baumgardner III added 14, hitting four three-pointers as well. Forward Ryan Bartley had 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Guard Anthony Johnson recorded 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists. Freshman stretch big Alex Kendall had 14 as well, going 2-for-2 from range. Findlay High's Max Roth had 13 points off the bench. Jagger Landers notched 11 points and 3 blocks as the Oilers' starting big man. Leipsic's Mason Brandt had 9 points and 2 blocks, and Jake Bishop, another FHS grad, added 8 points. "I thought tonight was a great example of complimentary basketball for us," Ernst said. "We were moving on offense as well as we were on defense. That takes its toll on teams. I couldn't be happier. Malone's a scrappy bunch."The win propelled Findlay to 6-1, as it now looks ahead to a tough conference schedule. The Oilers will travel to Walsh on Saturday at 3 p.m. for a clash with the Cavaliers. FINDLAY (6-1)Aljancic 9-0–22, Johnson 4-4–14, Kendall 5-2–14, Roth 5-0–13, Landers 5-0–11, Brandt 3-2–9, Bishop 3-0–8, Thorbahn 1-0–3, Biggers 1-0–3, B. Morrison 1-1–3, Meister 1-0–3. TOTALS: 38-10–103.MALONE (3-4)Wright II 8-5–25, Baumgardner III 5-0–14, Bartley 5-3–14, Conard 5-2–13, LaRocque 3-2–8, Walker 3-0–6, Blair 2-0–4. TOTALS: 31-12–84.HALFTIME: 52-38 Findlay.3-POINT FIELD GOALS: Findlay 17-30 (Aljancic 4); Malone 10-20 (Wright II, Baumgardner III 4).REBOUNDS: Findlay 27 (Aljancic 4); Malone 29 (Wright II 6).TURNOVERS: Findlay 9, Malone 14.