Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay men's basketball team put together a strong second half to earn a 63-47 victory on Thursday, Jan. 11 against the Thomas More University Saints. With the victory, the Oilers improve to 6-8 on the year and pull to .500 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) at 3-3. Thomas More falls to 10-6 overall and 5-3 in the G-MAC with the loss.
Thomas More, which is in its' first season as an NCAA Division II member, came into Croy to battle the Oilers for the first time since the 1989-90 season and pulled ahead early, leading 22-8 through ten minutes of play.
Findlay battled back, outscoring TMU 17-6 over the final 8:57 of the half. During that run, the Oilers hit 7-of-12 from the floor and were led by sophomore Khalil Luster who scored eight points to help pull the home team within three at 28-25.
Just over five minutes into the second half, senior Nathan Bruns hit a step back jumper to give Findlay its' first lead at 36-35. Minutes later, the Oilers suffocated the Saints to the tune of an 18-1 run, holding TMU to 0-5 from the floor and forcing them into four turnovers during that six minute stretch.
The Oilers would not trail the rest of the way and cruise to a 16-point victory. In the second half, Findlay outscored Thomas More 38-19.
Turnovers were a major factor in the outcome of Thursday's contest as Findlay, which averaged almost 13 turnovers a game entering the night, gave the ball up just three times while forcing Thomas More into 14.
Bruns led the team with 20 points on the night, making 7-of-17 from the floor in a team-high 30 minutes of play. Though Bruns was the leader in scoring, it was the play of Khalil Luster who sparked the Oilers to victory, scoring 14 points on the strength of four threes. He also tied for the team lead with three assists and two steals.
Sophomore Jagger Landers scored nine points and had a team-high six rebounds.
Findlay is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 13 with a game against the Ashland Eagles. That contest will tip off at 3:00 pm.
