Findlay, Ohio – The University of Findlay men's basketball team, ranked no. 12 in the country, defended its' home floor for the final time during the 2024-25 regular season, defeating rival Hillsdale College by a score of 73-60 on Thursday, Feb. 20. That win gives the Oilers a 23-3 record with a 16-2 mark in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play. Hillsdale, which has now lost seven of its' last nine games, falls to 17-9 (11-7 G-MAC).
Findlay would finish the contest having led for 84% of the game, but as is often the case with the Chargers, Thursday night's game was much closer than the final score indicates.
It was a slugfest early as both teams went scoreless over the first three minutes. The first points came on a triple from senior Josh Thorbahn 3:11 into the game.
Back-to-back threes by Hillsdale with six minutes to play in the half put the visiting team in front for the first time at 27-25, but the Oilers answered with a quick 7-0 run to take back control.
Thursday's turning point game in the second half with 12 minutes to play. A three by sophomore Jake Bishop was the final basket of an 11-0 run that put the Oilers ahead 47-38 and forced a timeout by the Chargers. During that run, Findlay, which is ranked among the top ten in the Midwest Region in the initial regional rankings, hit all five of its' field goal attempts, each by a different player.
Findlay would eventually build a game-high 15-point lead at 67-52 with just over three minutes to play which was plenty to secure the regular-season sweep of the Chargers.
In the game the Oilers made 26-of-59 (44%) including 13-of-27 (48%) from beyond the arc.
Sophomore Anthony Johnson led the way with 14 points while junior Max Roth scored 13 while hitting all three of his triple tries. Bishop and freshman Steele Meister each scored ten points.
The Oilers, which have already locked up a G-MAC Tournament berth, are off until next Thursday, Feb. 27 when they will head to take on the Ashland Eagles in Ashland.
Today's win makes UF a clear favorite to earn the regular season title and the tournament's top seed but, due to the standings being determined by points, that is not yet a reality. A win at Ashland, however, would secure that designation.
