Oilers trounce Dragons by 34

TIFFIN– It was a dominant performance from start to finish for the University of Findlay on Thursday, routing Tiffin University 89-55 in its own gym for an impressive G-MAC victory. The Oilers commanded things nearly from the opening whistle, after Tiffin got on the board first with a three-pointer. Findlay followed that with a 6-0 run that turned into a 10-0 run, and then a 15-0 one. After that, the scoreboard read 22-8 Findlay, and the Dragons never really recovered from that early deficit. That previous scoring run from the Oilers turned into a 20-2 onslaught, before three consecutive triples by the Dragons put a stop to the bleeding, if only momentarily. Findlay ended the first half with an 18-point advantage, up 40-22 headed into the break. "The first half was the key," Findlay coach Charlie Ernst said. "We set the tone, go to the break with an 18-point lead. You've gotta be really pleased with that, if you're a coach going on the road in this league."There were times the second half resembled a Globetrotter game more than a Division II college one, as Findlay extended their lead to nearly 40 in an assertive conference victory. It appeared for a moment that the Dragons may go on a lengthy run midway through the second half, as Tiffin rattled off an 8-2 stretch before Findlay snuffed it out. The player to do so was senior reserve guard Luke Denbow, who came in and immediately turned the game upside down. Denbow hit three jumpers from beyond the arc on three consecutive possessions, assisted on a Josh Thorbahn three-pointer, and then hit a turn-around jump shot from mid-range, scoring 11 points in just two minutes of play. "We just played Oiler basketball," Ernst said. "We were rotating well in our quarter court, our press was making them a little jittery. I wouldn't say we turned them over a bunch, but it made them uncomfortable. And then we were doubling the post, and that gave them a lot of problems." They probably shot more threes than they wanted for in the first half off of those doubles," Ernst continued. "While they made some, I thought it eliminated their offensive rebounding because they were taking jump shots."Senior guard Mekhi Elmore paced the Oilers in the scoring department, finishing with 16 points and three rebounds while going a perfect 2-for-2 from long range. Denbow added three boards and three dimes to his 11-point scoring total. Senior Mason Brandt had added another one of his signature alley-oop dunks to his collection as he finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, hitting two three-pointers as well. Sophomore forwards Steele Meister and Ian Ioppolo both ended the evening with nine points. Guard Anthony Johnson and forward Josh Thorbahn both added seven points. "While we may not be tall as a group, we're very athletic and we have a lot of guys with long arms," Ernst said. "So, we play longer and bigger than we appear. And if we can get stops, you're gonna have a heck of a time guarding us in the quarter court."Big man Alex Kendall, who has excelled since being inserted into the starting lineup, recorded eight points, two rebounds, and three assists."I think I fit in very well," Kendall said. "We're an athletic group out there that can get the ball and push it. We thrive in transition and in the press. The other group is very skilled in the half-court, they're very methodical. They've still got some athletic guys, but I think they just mesh very well together. I think that's what's so special about us."Kendall's ability to run the court while still playing in the post has unlocked Findlay's first group. His size and strength down low also provides a new element of interior defense that the Oilers were previously lacking inside, and allowed him to handle Tiffin's massive frontcourt group with ease. "We knew it was gonna be a war down there," Kendall said. "They thrive in the paint. They've got some big guys, great shot blockers, but we worked on it this week. We worked hard, we knew what we wanted to do, and we got the job done."Tiffin guard D'Monyae Davis, one of the smoothest scorers in the G-MAC, ended with 13 points, nine rebounds, and two steals, connecting on five of his 11 shot attempts. Forward Jonah Nesmith also notched 13 for the Dragons, along with three blocks. Michael Lucarotti tacked on 11 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Center Demar Burton tallied eight points, six rebounds, and three assists. "This is a great momentum builder for us, to get us back on track," Kendall said. "I think we've got a long way to go, and I think it could start tonight to help build us some momentum. The two groups play very well together. Whoever's out there, I trust every guy.""Sometimes, when you win pulling away like that, it feels at the end of the game like, that was easy," Ernst added. "The reality is, it wasn't easy. We've got a lot of respect for Tiffin, they've played a lot of teams tough in our league this year. It was a road win. Road wins are tough to come by, so I was really proud of our guys."The Oilers got a much-needed victory after Monday's double-OT loss to Ashland on the road, now up to 4-3 in conference matchups. With a 10-4 overall record, Findlay looks ahead to another road contest on Saturday, traveling to Canton to take on Malone University (10-4, 3-3 G-MAC) in another inter-conference battle.FINDLAYElmore 6-2–16, Denbow 4-0–11, Brandt 3-2–10, Meister 4-0–9, Ioppolo 4-1–9, Kendall 4-0–8, Johnson 2-2–7, Thorbahn 2-1–7, Hill 2-0–4, Bishop 1-0–3, Levis 1-1–3, Landers 1-0–2. TOTALS: 34-9–89.TIFFIN DAvis 5-1–13, Nesmith 4-3–13, Lucarotti 5-0–11, Burton 3-2–8, Smith 1-2–5, Pleiman 1-0–3, Damerum 1-0–2. TOTALS: 20-8–55.HALFTIME SCORE: Findlay, 40-22.THREE-POINT FIELD GOALS: Findlay 12-31 (Denbow 3); Tiffin 7-25 (Davis, Nesmith 2).REBOUNDS: Findlay 36 (Brandt 8); Tiffin 33 (Davis 9).TURNOVERS: Findlay 8, Tiffin 21.