Tiffin, Ohio - The University of Findlay men's basketball team made the short trip east on Thursday, Feb. 8 to take on the Tiffin University Dragons in what could prove to be an important Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) contest. The Oilers trailed at the half but rallied to take a 68-63 victory in front of a hostile crowd packed tightly inside the Gillmor Center. With the victory, Findlay improves to 10-11 on the year and now has a 7-6 record in conference play. Tiffin, meanwhile, falls to 13-8 overall and 7-6 in the G-MAC.

The Oilers led by as many as ten points in the first half when, a triple by sophomore Khalil Luster put the Orange and Black up 22-12 midway through the first half. A 15-3 run by the Dragons was a momentum boost for the home team, one that they would ride into the locker room, eventually holding a 33-27 lead.

Out of the half, Findlay hit triples on three consecutive possessions, taking a 36-35 lead. For the duration, it was a back-and-forth affair as neither team held a lead larger than five points. 

WIth one minute remaining, after a dunk by Tiffin's Wesley Jordan brought the crowd to it's feet, the Oilers got a slam of their own from freshman Will Aljancic, putting the Orange and Black ahead 64-61 with 55 seconds to play. Findlay's stingy defense forced a turnover and free-throws down the stretch iced the game.

In the second half, the Oilers outscored the Dragons 41-30 and hit 55% (5-of-9) from deep while also taking advantage of 10-of-11 from the free throw line.

For the game, the Oilers made 24-of-54 (44%) from the field including 9-of-23 from deep. 

Senior Nathan Bruns led the way with a herculean effort, scoring 18 points and collecting seven rebounds and seven assists. He also had a pair of blocks on the night. Sophomore forward Jagger Landers scored 14 and grabbed three rebounds while freshman Anthony Johnson scored ten points.

Aljancic scored nine points and led the team with nine rebounds.

The Oilers will be at home on Saturday, Feb. 10 for a matchup with the Malone Pioneers. That game will tip at 3 pm.