BrianLester posted on February 05, 2012 21:48
By BRIAN LESTER
STAFF WRITER
MARQUETTE, Mich. -- To say the University of Findlay men's basketball team needed a road win against Northern Michigan would be an understatement.
The Oilers had struggled away from home, losing four of their six games, all four coming against Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opponents.
It appeared Findlay was headed for another road setback on Saturday, down 13 in the first half and 10 in the second.
With the pressure on, the Oilers responded, rallying behind the effort of senior Rob Marsden for an 85-76 win over the Wildcats at the Berry Events Center.
The victory could not have come at a better time for a Findlay team that is down but not out of the GLIAC South Division race.
Findlay entered the game feeling the sting of a 70-56 loss at Michigan Tech on Thursday.
"It feels good to win," Findlay head coach Charlie Ernst said. "We are back to .500 in road games (4-4) and that is big. If you can go at least .500 on the road and win your home games, you will be in a good position at the end of the year."
Five players scored in double figures, led by Greg Kahlig's 19, and the Oilers shot 56.8 percent (25 of 44) from the field.
The key was the play of Marsden, a senior forward and the lone holdover from the 2009 NCAA Division II national championship team.
With the Oilers (16-5, 10-4 GLIAC) down 65-60, Marsden made back-to-back layups to ignite a comeback. His biggest play was a layup with 4:48 to go that gave the Oilers a 70-68 edge. Marsden was fouled on the play and hit the free throw.
Marsden clicked for a career-high 13 points, including 11 during a six-minute stretch in the second half. He was 6 of 8 from the floor and pulled down four rebounds.
"He had a great practice on Friday and we knew we had to get him more playing time," Ernst said. "He not only got more time, but he took advantage of it. He gave us a lot of life and enthusiasm."
Senior Kyle Caiola also rose up. The veteran point guard delivered a crushing blow to the Wildcats with a 3-pointer that gave Findlay a 76-70 lead.
Caiola (16 points) made six consecutive free throws in the final 2:22 to help seal the deal. Jake Heagen scored 11 off the bench, providing a huge spark by knocking down three treys; and Aaron Robinson added 10.
"We had guys step up, especially the veterans, and I think that made it easier for the younger guys like Jake to play well," Ernst said. "We had guys hit shots at the right time and it seemed to break their will."
Quinten Calloway had a phenomenal game for the Wildcats, pouring in 23 points. He knocked down five 3-pointers despite the fact that he had a defender in his face each time.
The Wildcats shot 43.9 percent (25 of 57) from the floor and took control early crashing the boards with 11 offensive rebounds in the first half, building their lead with second-chance points.
Northern led 35-22 with less than four minutes to play in the opening period and led 37-31 at halftime.
Ernst wasn't worried. He challenged his team to play more aggressive. The players responded.
"I told the guys that there are going to be tough moments on the road, and I told them that Northern might go back up by 10 or 12 in the second half," Ernst said. "I just wanted us to focus on playing hard on defense for 20 minutes. We knew we would get the possessions and have a chance to get back into the game. Northern played like their life was on the line but we responded to it."
The Oilers are back on the road Thursday for an 8 p.m. GLIAC game at Tiffin.
findlay (16-5, 10-4)
Kahlig 5-6 8-9 19, Piehl 2-2 2-4 7, Frilling 0-2 0-0 0, Caiola 3-9 9-9 16, Robinson 2-8 5-5 10, Samsel 1-2 0-0 3, Brown 0-1 0-0 0, J. Smith 3-3 0-0 6, Marsden 6-8 1-1 13, Heagen 3-3 2-3 11. TOTALS: 25-44 27-31--85.
northern michigan (8-13, 4-10)
Cameron 2-5 0-0 5, Benson 3-7 6-6 12, Calloway 9-17 0-0 23, Taylor 3-9 8-11 15, Stampley 3-9 0-0 7, Craggs 4-5 2-3 11, Jackson 0-1 0-0 0, McRae 0-1 0-0 0, Simon 1-3 1-4 3. TOTALS: 25-57 17-24--76.
HALFTIME: Northern Michigan, 37-31.
3-Point GOALS: Findlay 8-19 (Heagen 3-3, Piehl 1-1, Samsel 1-2, Kahlig 1-2, Robinson 1-4, Caiola 1-5, Frilling 0-1, Marsden 0-1); Northern Michigan 9-21 (Calloway 5-9, Craggs 1-1, Cameron 1-2, Taylor 1-2, Stampley 1-5, Jackson 0-1).
rebounds: Findlay 28 (Robinson 5, Marsden & Caiola 4); Northern Michigan 29 (Taylor 8, Benson 6). ASSISTS: Findlay 9 (Robinson & J. Smith 2); Northern Michigan 8 (Stampley 4); STEALS: Findlay 6 (Frilling & Robinson 2); Northern Michigan 2. BLOCKS: Findlay 2, Northern Michigan 2.
TURNOVERS: Findlay 13, Northern Michigan 13. TOTAL FOULS: Findlay 19, Northern Michigan 24. FOULED OUT: Northern Michigan, Calloway.
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