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Local Sports

Sunday, December 06, 2009

College Basketball: UF men's second straight loss a rarity
Interstate Court Plaza - Findlay - I-75 Exit #159
By BRIAN LESTER

STAFF WRITER

SAULT STE MARIE, Mich. -- If the University of Findlay men's basketball team is going to contend for a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship this season, it will have a huge mountain to climb.

The Oilers are in a two-game hole in the conference standings after a 61-55 loss to Lake Superior State on Saturday afternoon at Bud Cooper Gymnasium. It marked the first time UF has lost back-to-back games since the 2001-02 season when it fell to Mercyhurst and Gannon.

UF (3-3, 0-2 GLIAC) had its eight-game win streak against the Lakers snapped and shot 45 percent (22-of-49) from the field on a day when freshmen center Rob Marsden, guard Aaron Robinson and forward Jack Smith were in the starting lineup.

UF played the veteran Lakers (3-3, 2-0) tough for 40 minutes. What the Oilers couldn't do was capitalize on opportunities down the stretch as they came up short for the second time on a two-game road swing into Michigan.

“I thought it was a very competitive game. Both teams played hard,” UF head coach Ron Niekamp said. “We defended well but we had no consistency on the offensive end. It's something we need to find to have success.”

But while the loss stings for a UF team that won the NCAA Division II national title in March and is accustomed to being the GLIAC's most dominant team this decade, Niekamp believes there were positives from his club.

“I think the first thing is that we did compete the whole game,” he said. “That was a good step for us. We need to do a better job of recognizing situations, but I think as long as you compete and play hard, you will get better.”

UF trailed only 26-22 at halftime but the deficit grew to 30-22 two minutes into the second half. The Oilers responded, using a quick 6-0 burst to get back into the game.

Smith drained two free throws, Nathan Hyde nailed a jumper and Robinson turned a steal into a layup as the Oilers cut the gap to 30-28 with 17:29 left in the game.

Hyde's jumper put the Oilers in front 36-35 with just over 12 minutes to play but a 3-pointer by hot-shooting Scott Perkins gave the Lakers the lead for good.

The senior guard picked up where he left off against Hillsdale Thursday night when he torched the Chargers for 38 points. His 24-point performance Saturday was good enough to help the Lakers beat UF for the first time since 2001-02, when it earned a 92-79 win.

Perkins helped LSSU gain an early edge in its quest to repeat as GLIAC North Division champions.

UF fell behind by as many as 11 later in the second half as it gave up five buckets from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes and let opportunities slip away because of turnovers (10 overall) and missed shots.

Still, with time winding down, the Oilers had a chance to steal a victory.

Robinson drilled a 3-pointer with 21 seconds to play that got UF within 56-53 and Marcus Parker's jumper cut the deficit to 57-55 with 14 seconds remaining. Four straight free throws down the stretch sealed the deal for the Lakers.

“All of the experiences our team has are good,” Niekamp said. “We'd like to have more wins, but this is a very tough league. Each situation we are in will benefit us in the long run.”

Parker pumped in 13 points while Robinson had nine points and six rebounds.

The Lakers only shot 37 percent (18-of-49) from the field but made 16 of 24 attempts from the free-throw line. Kyle Hunt dropped in 12 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 4 assists, while Derek Kinney scored 11 points and grabbed 8 boards.

There were four ties in a close first half of action and UF had its biggest lead at 15-11 when Michael Agunga split two free throws. The Lakers closed the half on a 6-2 run to take a slight lead into halftime.

UF now heads home searching for answers as the growth process continues for a young Oilers' squad.

The Oilers face Ferris State (3-3, 3-0) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Croy Gymnasium before hosting rival Grand Valley State (4-2, 2-1) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

“This is not going to be an overnight process, but we understand what we have to focus on to get better as a team,” Niekamp said. “At this time of the year, I don't think anyone has all of the answers. We just have to look at the positives and continue to make strides.”



findlay (55)

Hyde 4-9 0-0 8, Parker 5-11 2-2 13, Smith 2-6 2-2 6, Robinson 4-7 0-0 9, Marsden 2-3 0-3 4, Coon 1-2 2-3 4, Avery 3-7 1-2 8, Brown 0-1 0-0 0, Wehri 0-1 0-0 0, Agunga 1-2 1-2 3. TOTALS: 22-49 8-14--55.

lake superior state (61)

Hudson 2-8 0-0 6, Perkins 7-19 6-8 24, Hunt 1-11 9-11 12, Kinney 5-5 0-1 11, Charlesworth 2-4 0-1 5, Williams 1-2 0-0 2, Boylan 0-0 1-3 1. TOTALS: 18-49 16-24--61.

HALFTIME: Lake Superior State, 26-22.

3-Point GOALS: Findlay 3-11 (Avery 1-1, Robinson 1-2, Parker 1-3, Marsden 0-1, Brown 0-1, Hyde 0-3); Lake Superior State 9-26 (Perkins 4-10, Hudson 2-6, Kinney 1-1, Charlesworth 1-3, Hunt 1-6).

rebounds: Findlay 36 (Robinson 6, Smith & Avery 5); Lake Superior State 31 (Hunt & Kinney 8).

ASSISTS: Findlay 7 (Coon & Brown 2); Lake Superior State 14 (Hudson 5, Hunt 4).

STEALS: Findlay 2, Lake Superior State 3.

BLOCKS: Findlay 1, Lake Superior State 0.

turnovers: Findlay 10, Lake Superior State 8.

TOTAL FOULS: Findlay 21, Lake Superior State 14.

FOULED OUT: Parker.

Lester: 419-422-5151,

Send an e-mail to Brian Lester


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