The University of Findlay men's basketball team, ranked first in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll, captured the 2009 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament title with a 67-56 win over Grand Valley State University on Saturday, March 7 in Croy Gymnasium. The championship victory was the Oilers fourth in the past six years, giving them a 30-0 record on the season.

The contest was a tale of two halves as Findlay struggled in the opening period by shooting only 29.0 percent (9-of-31) from the floor. In comparison, the Lakers hit 48.0 (12-of-25) of their attempts but found themselves up only three points at 27-24 when the first half buzzer sounded.

The second half was dominated by the Oilers defense as they made life miserable for Grand Valley State.

Senior forward Morgan Lewis got things started when he tied the game at 27-27 just 20 seconds into the final period on an old fashioned three point play.

Lewis would then give Findlay a 33-32 lead with 16:31 to play on a lay-up before junior guard Marcus Parker made the score 35-32 only 14 seconds later.

After a lay-up by the Lakers Toreau Brown, Lewis would cram home a dunk at the 15:24 mark to make the score 37-34 before senior guard Aaron Laflin canned the Oilers first three pointer of the game, giving Findlay a 40-34 advantage with 13:20 showing on the clock.

Laflin's three was followed by another one from senior forward Josh Bostic and senior guard Tyler Evans moments later after Justin Ringler converted a three point play for the Lakers.

Leading 46-37 with 11:42 left, Laflin canned a jumper and then split a pair of free throws before Parker drained a triple to give Findlay a 52-37 advantage with 7:09 remaining in the game.

Leading by 15, Lewis split a pair of free throws before Parker and Hyde made a pair from the charity stripe to give the Oilers a 57-39 advantage with 5:59 to play.

The 12-0 run by Findlay broke the Lakers will as they held them scoreless for almost seven straight minutes.

Grand Valley State mounted a mini comeback at the end to tighten the gap but it wasn't enough as the Oilers tied a school record with their 30th victory of the season.

As a team, Findlay shot 38.6 percent (22-of-57) from the floor but made 19-of-25 (76.0%) of their free throw attempts compared to a 7-of-9 (77.8%) showing from Grand Valley State.

The Oilers also grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and forced the Lakers into 20 turnovers during the win.

Lewis recorded 15 points, ten rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks to earn all-tournament honors while Parker chipped in 15 points and four boards as an all-tournament selection as well.

Senior center Lee Roberts added 10 points and four boards while Bostic recorded nine points and five rebounds en route to being selected the 2009 GLIAC Tournament MVP.

For the tournament, the All-American from Columbus, Ohio averaged 20.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

The Lakers were led by Toreau Brown's 12 points.

Grand Valley State's Pete Trammell, who scored 11 points in the championship game, and Ringler were each named to the all-tournament team as well along with Michigan Technological University's Robby Springborn.

Findlay will be back in action on Saturday, March 14 when they compete in the 2009 NCAA Division II Midwest Region Tournament against an opponent to be determined.

The Oilers will now await the seeding process from the NCAA and will find out their opponent tomorrow on Sunday, March 8 when the brackets are released live on the internet immediately following the women's selection show which is scheduled to begin at 9:00 p.m.