Local Sports

Friday, December 04, 2009

College Basketball: Saginaw handles UF, 83-69

By BRIAN LESTER

STAFF WRITER

UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. -- Growing pains are going to come with being a young team.

And Thursday night against Saginaw Valley State, the University of Findlay men's basketball team certainly felt the pain.

The Oilers shot 44 percent (28-of-64) from the field and had no answer for rising star Keithan Jackson, who scored 22 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to help the Cardinals rumble past ninth-ranked UF 83-69 at James O'Neill Arena.

SVSU was at its best on this night and made a statement that it is ready to for a title chase.

"They outplayed us in every facet of the game," UF head coach Ron Niekamp said. "They are a very good team, and I think with the additions they've made, especially Jackson, they have gone from being a middle of the pack team to being a team that can contend for a (GLIAC) championship."

But the Oilers can't look at this loss as one that dooms any chances of being a contender as well. One setback during a 22-game conference slate doesn't make or break a team.

"Things are very tough for us, not only because we have a young team, but because every team is laying back and waiting for us," Niekamp said. "They love to see us come to town and they are going to play hard because they want to knock us off."

UF (3-2, 0-1 GLIAC) lost five seniors from its national championship season a year ago and despite opening the game with a 9-2 run, the Oilers were unable to keep pace with the Cardinals (4-1).

SVSU used an 11-0 burst mid-way through the first half, capitalizing on an eight-minute scoring drought by UF, as it took a 27-16 lead and never looked back. The Cardinals led 42-31 at halftime.

The Cardinals stretched their lead to 20 with a 9-0 run in the first five minutes of the second half.

Marcus Parker tried to put a dent in SVSU's momentum when he made a layup to halt the run, but it was too late.

"The end of the first half and the start of the second half was big for them," Niekamp said. "It went from being a close game to being a game that got out of reach for us."

The Oilers trailed by double digits throughout the second half as they had their 34-game conference winning streak snapped. UF last lost a conference game during the 2007-08 campaign, falling 65-61 to Gannon.

SVSU shot 46 percent (29-of-63) from the field while burying 10 3-pointers.

Jackson nailed three of those shots from beyond the arc and fueled SVSU's effort on the glass as the Cardinals out-rebounded the Oilers 45-36. Jackson posted his fourth double-double of the year.

"He was a man tonight," Niekamp said. "He gave a tremendous effort and the players around him stepped up, too."

Chris Webb scored 18 points, Avery Stephenson 15 and Sean Romsek 13 points for the Cardinals, who halted their 13-game losing streak against the Oilers.

"They executed on offense and were in the right places at the right time," Niekamp said. "Maybe that had something to do with the way we played because we were not effective enough on the offensive end. But the Cardinals played very well and deserve a lot of credit."

Nathan Hyde paced the Oilers with 17 points, his fourth consecutive game with at least 16 points. Hyde grabbed 7 rebounds as well. Parker pumped in 16 points, Jack Smith finished with 11 and Rob Marsden 10.

UF now heads to the Upper Peninsula for a 3 p.m. Saturday game against Lake Superior State. The Lakers (2-3) defeated Hillsdale 65-60 on Thursday night.

"We just have to find answers right now," Niekamp said. "We have to find out what works best for us and make the right adjustments."

FINDLAY (69)

Avery 2-9 0-0 4, Marsden 5-6 0-2 10, Coon 0-3 0-0 0, Hyde 6-11 1-1 17, Parker 5-12 5-7, 16, Smith 5-10 1-3 11, Robinson 1-6 0-0 2, Brown 2-5 1-3 5, Wehri 2-2 0-0 0, Agunga 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 28-64 8-16 69.

Saginaw valley state (83)

Jackson 7-16 5-6 22, Gries 3-5 0-0 6, Webb 6-10 3-4 18, Stephenson 6-17 1-3 15, Foster 2-7 2-2 6, Romsek 4-7 4-4 13, Beland 1-1 0-0 3, Genther 0-0 0-0 0, Fugate 0-0 0-0 0, Roberts 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 29-63 15-19 83.

Halftime: Saginaw Valley State, 42-31.

3-Point GOALS: Findlay 5-21 (Avery 0-1, Coon 0-1, Hyde 4-7, Parker 1-5, Smith 0-2, Robinson 0-4, Brown 0-1); Saginaw Valley 10-22 (Jackson 3-6, Webb 3-4, Stephenson 2-7, Foster 0-1, Romsek 1-3, Beland 1-1).

rebounds: Findlay 36 (Marsden 7, Hyde 7); Saginaw Valley 45 (Jackson 17).

Assists: Findlay 9 (Robinson 3); Saginaw Valley 12 (Stephenson 5).

STEALS: Findlay 4 (Parker 2); Saginaw Valley 5 (Gries 2, Webb 2).

Blocks: Findlay 0; Saginaw Valley 3 (Parker, Stephenson, Roberts).

Turnovers: Findlay 12; Saginaw Valley 11.

Total fouls: Findlay 20; Saginaw Valley 20.

fouled out: Foster.

Lester: 419-422-5151,

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