BrianLester posted on February 02, 2012 22:33
By BRIAN LESTER
I thought this would be the night the University of Findlay men's basketball team would pick up that much-needed road win in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The Oilers had played so well during a three-game homestand and seemed to have everything in order for a crucial two-game trip to the Upper Peninsula, which began with a showdown against Michigan Tech.
On Thursday night, however, the Oilers found themselves on the short end of a 70-56 score. They didn't lose because they failed to play hard. They lost because they couldn't get shots to fall, something that has been a problem for them in the road games they have lost this season.
Findlay shot only 35.2 percent from the field, including a 25 percent showing in the opening half of play.
You can't shoot 25 percent from the field and expect to win a road game, or any game for that matter. It's not as if Tech is a pushover. The Huskies are well-coached and they play well, especially at home.
But if the Oilers would have shot the ball better early, they probably would have won this game.
Did the Oilers have their chances to get back into this game despite the shooting performance? Of course they did. They just couldn't get the open looks to go down and had trouble executing when it mattered.
But all the Oilers can do is move on.
They can't hang their heads about a tough loss to a quality team. Their focus has to be on bouncing back Saturday against Northern Michigan. It's a must-win game.
A split on a trip to the Upper Peninsula wouldn't be a bad thing as long as Findlay can take care of business in both road games next week.
I had a chance to talk with head coach Charlie Ernst on Thursday night and he talked about the belief he has in this team. Look, we all know the Oilers have a lot of talent, and just as they figured out how to get the job done at home on a consistent basis, they will figure something out to overcome the road woes as well.
Ernst is a brilliant coach. He will figure out what buttons to push and get this team on track to get a few road wins this month. I'll be surprised if it doesn't happen, starting with Saturday's game against Northern Michigan.
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