UF women start on 21-0 run, quiet Storm

FINDLAY– When your team can start a game on a 21-0 run and not give up any points until there's less than a minute to go in the opening quarter, that's usually a good sign.That was the case for coach Michele Durand and the University of Findlay women's basketball team on Thursday night, hosting the Lake Erie Storm in a G-MAC affair. The Oilers defeated the Storm 70-59, thanks in large part to that strong opening quarter."It was a great start to the game," Durand said. "We just talked about being really aggressive and attacking, getting in transition. We're pretty good when we're in transition. Just really being aggressive and attacking, and we did.""I think we did really well finishing in transition and just finding each other," guard Aubri Spicer said. "We went really hard this whole week in practice, so it all just correlated with that."A big reason for the Oilers' victory was yet another solid performance from senior forward Alyssa Ziehler.Ziehler poured in a game-high 22 points along with eight rebounds and four steals, going 8-for-13 from the floor. Ziehler has continued to light up opposing defenses this season, with averages up over 15 points and nine boards. Spicer provided an unexpected burst off of the bench for the Oilers, scoring 12 points and nabbing two steals. Spicer's unique ability to be both a ball-handler and score with her back to the basket unlocks more offensive options for Durand and the Oilers coaching staff. "Aubrey's really creative," Durand said. "She can get to the basket well, she's a good passer. She can get to the basket, she's aggressive. She's been having really good practices, so it was her time to shine tonight.""I think making the most of your minutes is how aggressive you are when you come in," Spicer said. "You might not be the leading scorer or anything, but you can make such an impact on defense. My goal every time that I go in is to play as hard as I can for the minutes I have."Taylor Stanley and MacKenzie Schulz each tacked on 10 points, with Stanley also recording six rebounds. Ariyah Douglas added six points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Lake Erie's Gracie Lyon led the way with 14 points, six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Four different players finished with eight points for the Storm. Despite Findlay's strong first-quarter performance, the Storm refused to go down without a fight. Lake Erie won the second quarter 24-15, and ended the period on a 9-2 run to go down by just 10 points at the break. "Give credit to Lake Erie," Durand said. "They really fought and started pressing us a lot more. We got complacent, I think. You get up with a big lead, and you've gotta fight getting complacent. We didn't do a very good job of that."The Oilers continue to get to the free-throw line and convert at a high clip, going 12-of-14 in Thursday's win. Findlay out-rebounded the Storm 36-25, and forced 21 turnovers as a unit. Now up to 7-8 and 3-5 in the G-MAC, Findlay hosts Ohio Dominican on Saturday in a conference matchup.