Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. - The University of Findlay women's basketball team kicked off the 2023-24 campaign on Friday, Nov. 10 with a victory on the road against the Lake Superior State Lakers, earning an 83-73 victory. It is the second consecutive season in which the Oilers have started the year with a win against the Lakers.

While the score never got lopsided in favor of the Orange and Black, Findlay did remain in control of the game for the duration. Trailing 3-2 early on, a layup by senior Kate Ellis put the Oilers ahead 4-3 less than two minutes into the contest, and the team would not trail for the rest of the game.

The third quarter is where the Oilers took a stranglehold of the game, using a 13-5 run over the final four minutes of the period to take a commanding 61-45 lead with just ten minutes to play. In that quarter, the Oilers connected on 11-of-16 shots (69%) from the floor including 4-of-5 (80%) from deep.

In the final frame, Lake State outscored Findlay for the first time in the game, winning the quarter 28-22, but it was not nearly enough as the Oilers went on to a ten-point victory.

Findlay used a fast-paced attack to control the game, picking up 20 fast break points in the game compared to just six for the Lakers. The Oilers also held a 41-34 advantage on the glass and racked up seven steals.

Offensively, the Oilers were led by Kate Ellis who poured in 20 points on the afternoon, the fifth 20+ point game of her career. She connected on 9-of-16 shots from the floor, had five rebounds, and added three assists.

Junior Chloe Callahan and sophomore Alyssa Ziehler scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, while freshman MacKenzie Schulz scored ten points in her collegiate debut. Ziehler had seven rebounds while Callahan snagged five and Schulz had six.

Findlay's leader on the glass came in the form of freshman Addisyn Freeman. The Elida, Ohio native had nine boards and chipped in six points and three assists, as well. Junior Janae Hoying led the team with four assists.

The Oilers are back on the court tomorrow, November 11 at 1:00 pm, a game against the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals.