Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay men's basketball team, ranked no. 13 in the country, picked up an important win on Saturday, Feb. 15 against the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers in a battle of the top two teams in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) standings. In a game that featured 18 lead changes, the Oilers came out on top, picking up a 79-76 win to improve to 22-3 overall and 15-2 in the G-MAC. KWC falls to 18-6 with a 12-4 mark in the league.
From the jump, it was clear that KWC was willing to live or die by the long ball as the visiting Panthers launched ten triple tries in the first ten minutes of play. That trend would continue as KWC, the league's preseason favorite, would finish the game with a season-high 38 attempts from deep.
Despite all those tries, the Oilers were content with twos and would hold a 31-27 lead at the midway point.
In a game that never was separated by more than six points, the second half was tightly contested as two of the top teams in the Midwest Region battled for control in the G-MAC. KWC's last lead was 76-74 with less than two minutes to play, but a bucket by junior Jagger Landers was followed by a missed three from the Panthers, leading to another bucket by sophomore Anthony Johnson.
Yet another miss from deep put the Panthers in trouble, fouling Johnson with12 seconds the play. He split his tries, making the score 79-76 with 12 seconds remaining.
Kentucky Wesleyan had one more try from deep that clanked off the rim and fell harmlessly to the floor as the Oilers, in front of a near sellout, picked up the critical victory.
Findlay made 33-of-65 from the floor, dominating in the paint to the tune of 46 points from inside the key. The Oilers made just five triples. KWC was the complete opposite, making 28-of-63 (44%) including 16-of-38 (42%) from three-point range. The Panthers scored just 22 points in the paint.
Findlay, which now has the most wins in a season since the 2018-19 season, was led by sophomore Will Aljancic who returned to form with an 18-point night. He also led the team with seven rebounds. Sophomore Anthony Johnson scored 13 points while junior Jagger Landers had 12. Johnson and Landers each had three assists while Landers also added seven rebounds.
Junior Mekhi Elmore also found himself in double-figures, scoring ten points.
Next Time Out
The Oilers will play their final home game of the regular season, playing host to the Hillsdale College Chargers on Thursday, Feb. 20 in what is yet another meaningful G-MAC contest.
Fans are encouraged to wear white on Thursday night in an effort to White Out Croy, an event sponsored by the University of Findlay Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
