Findlay, Ohio - The University of Findlay men's basketball team returned to Croy for the first time in 21 days on Saturday, Dec. 9 and put on a show in front of their home fans, defeating the Cedarville Yellow Jackets by a score of 101-77. The Oilers, which at one point led the contest by 40 points, shot a season-high 58% from the floor to pick up the victory and improve their record to 2-5 on the year with a 1-2 mark in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play. Cedarville falls to 6-4 on the young season with a 2-1 record in the conference.
Lead 14-11 early on, the Oilers then exploded over the next 12 minutes of play, outscoring the Yellow Jackets 44-17 in that stretch. Over that run, Findlay was as hot as it has been in years, canning 18-of-20 field goal attempts including 7-of-8 from beyond the arc. The Croy faithful would ultimately see their team head into the half with a 60-34 lead, Findlay's first 60-point half in two years.
The second half began with much of the same as the Orange and Black, which never trailed on Saturday, outscored Cedarville 22-10 over the first seven-and-a-half minutes, building a game-high 40-point lead at 84-44. Findlay would pull off the gas, but still went on to a decisive 24-point victory, the Oilers' largest margin of victory against the Yellow Jackets since 2018 and the first time Findlay had scored 100+ against CU since the second round of the NAIA District 22 Playoffs in 1987.
In the game, the Oilers made 39-of-67 (58%) from the floor including 15-of-29 (52%) from three-point range. It is the sixth time in seven games this season that Findlay has made at least ten threes in a game.
Findlay, which came into the contest ranked 280th out of 287 in the country in rebounding margin, dominated on the glass, corralling 41 boards to just 30 for the Yellow Jackets.
Senior Nathan Bruns led the scoring for Findlay, dropping 21 on 9-of-13 from the floor including 3-of-5 from deep. Bruns, the G-MAC's leader in three-point percentage at 57% this season, also snagged five rebounds, collected three steals, and had two assists.
Putting together his best performance since the season-opener was freshman Will Aljancic who scored 18 points and led the team with eight rebounds. Sophomore Jagger Landers had 15 points and three rebounds while senior Joey Edmonds scored 14 points, had four assists, and led the Oilers with four made triples.
Sophomore Khalil Luster was a pest on defense, earning three steals while also contributing nine points to his team's cause, as well.
Findlay is back in action in Croy Gymnasium on Monday, Dec. 11 for a non-conference matchup with Great Lakes Christian. That game will tip at 7:00 pm.
