By ANDY WOLF
STAFF WRITER
VIENNA, W.Va. — The University of Findlay men’s basketball team hit its first four shots of the second half to gain some much-needed separation and extend its lead on Ohio Valley to 54-39.
And in double figures is where it stayed.
Taren Sullivan matched his career-high of 31 points in an efficient manner and led the Oilers to an 86-73 Great Midwest Athletic Conference victory Saturday in Vienna, West Virginia.
“To the common person that sees the score and says ‘maybe Findlay didn’t play very well,’ I’m not sure that’s entirely accurate,” UF coach Charlie Ernst said. “Maybe it wasn’t our best game of the year, but I don’t think it wasn’t our worst, either.
“I give Ohio Valley some credit. They’re a solid team that’s playing well and playing with a fair amount of confidence on their home court.”
Findlay (18-2, 12-0 GMAC) upped its winning streak to 14 games with nine coming on the road.
Sullivan rounded out his night with eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
He connected on 13 of 19 shots from the field, matching the same shooting percentage in his 31-point effort earlier in the season against Walsh (96-87 win) on Dec. 7.
The main difference in the two nights was Sullivan only taking two 3-pointers against Ohio Valley as opposed to five against Walsh.
The 6-foot-6 senior forward effectively used his low post moves against Ohio Valley to create easy buckets.
The Fighting Scots didn’t have an answer.
“We knew that coming in. We knew he would be a very difficult matchup for them and we had been working on that part of our game too,” Ernst said. “Taren took what the defense gave him and they never really did double him.”
Elijah Kahlig added 18 points and made four of his seven 3-point attempts. Martyce Kimbrough also drained four 3s en route to 16 points.
Kimbrough opened the second half with a 3-ball 13 seconds in.
A Sullivan steal quickly led to Alex White (10 points, eight rebounds) knocking down a left baseline jumper before Kahlig and Kimbrough hit 3s on back-to-back possessions.
Ohio Valley came as close as 79-69 with 3:23 remaining but Kimbrough pulled up for a jumper and Kahlig knocked in a transition 3, assisted by Kimbrough, to remove any doubt.
“We forced some turnovers and got some 3s at the end of those,” Ernst said. “Secondly, when you have such a lively low-post game between Alex (4 of 6) and Taren scoring in there, then the defense has to adjust.
“They have to help down a little more aggressively and now we find our shooters around the 3-point line.”
The outside shots had always been there for UF.
Just a few more went in than in recent GMAC games.
The Oilers bested both 50 percent overall (33 of 65) and 40 percent from long range (43.5, 10 of 23) for the first time in seven conference games.
Aleksandar Djordjevic backed Ohio Valley with 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Christian Alley scored 15 points while Parker Black and Victor Demetrio each had 12.
The Fighting Scots shared the scoring opportunities in the first half as seven players attempted at least three shots.
Djordjevic and Alley combined for 17 of their 36 second-half points.
Ohio Valley struggled from long range (5 of 25) but dominated UF in paint points 46-26.
“We were just too spread out on defense,” Ernst said. “We did not take away their strength: driving and kick offense. We were still trying to be too aggressive in the quarter court.
“In the second half we quit pressing so our guys could settle into a rhythm on defense and really just protect the paint. We still didn’t do a great job of it, but we did a much better job in the second half.”
Findlay improved to 12-2 away from Croy Gymnasium, 9-1 in true road games.
The Oilers return home for the first time in 23 days when Trevecca Nazarene (4-15, 3-8) comes to town for a 6 p.m. Thursday clash.
The Trojans gave UF all it could handle the first time around but ultimately fell 61-56 on Dec. 2 in Nashville.
Six of UF’s final eight games are at Croy Gymnasium.
“We’re probably a little bit road weary. How could you not be?” Ernst said of only having six home games. “I’m not sure that resonates with everyone. It certainly resonates with people who have coached or been a part of a team who understand how tough it is to go on the road and win and play with energy, enthusiasm and be sharp and execute at a high level.
“I’m proud of this team. We’ve gone through a lot of road trips, stayed in a lot of hotels, had to juggle academic life with athletic life and played a lot of good opponents. We put ourselves in a great position.”
FINDLAY (18-2, 12-0 GMAC)
Gardner 1-1 2-2 4, Smith 0-3 0-0 0, Schmock 0-5 0-0 0, Sullivan 13-19 4-4 31 Masterlasco 1-1 2-4 4, Kimbrough 6-15 0-0 16, Kahlig 7-11 0-1 18, Wildermuth 0-0 0-0 0, Ashley 1-3 0-0 3, Overhiser 0-1 0-0 0, White 4-6 2-3 10. TOTALS: 33-65 10-14 86.
OHIO VALLEY (2-14, 1-9 GMAC)
Kengne 1-1 0-0 2, L. Djordjevic 1-3 0-0 2, Alley 6-12 3-4 15, Dobson 1-4 0-0 3, A. Djordjevic 9-19 0-0 19, Harrison 2-4 1-1 6, Swoope 1-6 0-0 2, Black 5-9 0-0 12, Demetrio 6-6 0-1 12. TOTALS: 32-64 4-6 73.
3-Point GOALS: Findlay 10-23 (Schmock 0-2, Sullivan 1-2, Kimbrough 4-10, Kahlig 4-7, Ashley 1-1, Overhiser 0-1); Ohio Valley 5-25 (L. Djordjevic 0-2, Alley 0-2, Dobson 1-4, A. Djordjevic 1-4, Harrison 1-3, Swoope 0-5, Black 2-5).
rebounds: Findlay 36 (Sullivan & White 8); Ohio Valley 34 (A. Djordjevic 8).
ASSISTS: Findlay 18 (Gardner 5); Ohio Valley 12 (A. Djordjevic 4).
STEALS: Findlay 11 (Schmock 4); Ohio Valley 5 (L. Djordjevic & Djordjevic 2).
BLOCKS: Findlay 3 (Overhiser 2); Ohio Valley 4 (Demetrio 4).
TURNOVERS: Findlay 11; Ohio Valley 17.
TOTAL FOULS: Findlay 11; Ohio Valley 13.
FOULED OUT: None.
HALFTIME: Findlay, 43-37.
Wolf: 419-427-8496,
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