Hillsdale, Mich. - The University of Findlay men's basketball team, ranked no. 5 in the country, hit the road for a battle against the no. 24 Hillsdale College Chargers on Saturday, Jan. 25. The Oilers would lead for more than 34 minutes, going on to a 76-71 victory in front of nearly 1,000 fans, the biggest crowd at Hillsdale this season. With that victory, Findlay improves to 17-2 overall and take over sole possession of first place in the confernece at 10-1 in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play. Hillsdale, which entered the game with fresh legs thanks to an off-day on Thursday, falls to 15-4 overall and 9-2 in the conference, suffering back-to-back losses for the first time this season.

Hillsdale's largest lead of the game came just over four minutes in when a triple by Logan Beaston put the home team ahead 10-6. Findlay would quickly turn the tide, using a 7-0 run to take back the lead, one they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.

Another 7-0 run early in the second half put the Oilers ahead 47-34, the largest lead of the game to that point. Down the stretch, Findlay was able to keep Hillsdale at arms length, never allowing the home team closer than five points at any point in the second half.

Findlay's last made field goal of the game came with 2:24 to play on a jumper by sophomore Anthony Johnson. The game's pace came to a crawl at that point as Hillsdale looked to extend the clock with fouls. In the final 1:38, the Oilers would score 12 points at the charity stripe, fighting off any chance at a comeback by HC.

With five seconds on the clock, a pair of missed free-throws by Findlay and a buzzer-beating triple by Hillsdale made what could have been a double-digit win just a five-point win. That would prove inconsequential as the Oilers earned their first win in a tangling of two top-25 teams since January of 2021 when the Orange and Black, ranked tenth, took down no. 23 Hillsdale at home 68-65 on a half court buzzer-beater from guard Tommy Schmock.

Findlay made 26-of-54 (48%) in the game including 8-of-20 (40%) from downtown while Hillsdale hit 26-of-63 (41%) including just 5-of-23 (22%) from three-point range. 

Landers finished the game with a team-high 19 points to go along with five rebounds. Junior Max Roth, who connected on all eight of his free-throw attempts, finished with 12 points. He also had two steals.

Junior Mehki Elmore reached double-figures with ten points and two steals while sophomore Anthony Johnson had nine points and two assists. Senior Josh Thorbahn was the leading rebounder, nabbing seven boards in the game for Findlay.

Findlay will be back home on Thursday, Jan. 30 for a game against Walsh University. That contest will tip off at 7:30 pm.