GREAT MIDWEST DIGITAL NETWORK REPLAY (Produced by PulseTV)

Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay men's basketball team welcomed in a familiar foe on Saturday, Nov. 18 when the Ferris State Bulldogs came into Croy Gymnasium for an afternoon affair. As is so often the case with these two programs, the game came down to the wire, but it was FSU who came away with a gritty 80-77 victory. Findlay falls to 1-2 on the year with the loss while Ferris State remains perfect, improving to 4-0.

Findlay and Ferris State have met in each of the past twenty seasons aside from 2020 in which both teams were forced into conference-only schedules. The two high-level Division II programs have played against each other three times in the NCAA Midwest Regional since 2017 and have five top-25 matchups, all-time.

Saturday's game was back-and-forth early and it was the Oilers who, nearly ten minutes into the game, got a triple from sophomore Jagger Landers to take a 23-19 lead, their largest of the game. However, an 11-0 run by the Bulldogs over the next three minutes put the visitors in control, ultimately taking a 42-35 lead into the break.

Ferris State's largest lead came ten minutes into the second as the Bulldogs hit a three to go ahead 65-56. Findlay scrapped their way back into the game, but still trailed by five, 77-74, with just 1:31 remaining. The Oilers' defense came up with a stop and freshman Anthony Johnson drilled an NBA-range three, electrifying the crowd and pulling his team to within one at 78-77.

Another stop on defense gave Findlay the ball with 15 seconds and a one-point deficit. Senior Nathan Bruns got into the paint and caught some contact, missing his attempt at taking the lead. The Oilers were forced to foul and, after a pair of free-throws, a wild triple try at the buzzer did not fall, leaving the home team on the short end of an 80-77 game.

Both teams shot the ball well, but it was Ferris State who held the edge as they connected on 32-of-58 (55.2%) shots from the floor despite making just 5-of-18 (27.8%) from deep. Findlay also shot well, making 27-of-55 (49.1%) and was hot from beyond the arc, hitting 13-of-24 (54.2%). The Bulldogs held a slight advantage on the glass, 31-24, and dominated in the paint, outscoring the Oilers from the key 44-to-26.

Findlay was led offensively by senior Nathan Bruns who scored 17 points and grabbed five rebounds. He nailed a trio of triples and led the team with four assists in a losing effort.

Landers scored 13 points off the bench while senior Joey Edmonds had nine points and sophomore Mason Brandt scored eight.

Findlay will be back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 21 when they  travel to take on the Grand Valley State Lakers, another Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) opponent, in Allendale, Michigan.