Dragons stay hot, down Oilers 84-70

Joshua Rivers had 16 points and 7 rebounds against the Oilers.
Joshua Rivers had 16 points and 7 rebounds against the Oilers.

Tiffin University (14-13, 11-8 G-MAC) stayed hot approaching the end of the regular season, beating Findlay for the first time in 10 years 84-70.

The win is Tiffin's 5th straight and 6th in their last 8 games, and also tied the single-season school record for conference wins with 11. With one game remaining on Senior Day against Ohio Dominican Feb. 25, the Dragons control their playoff destiny and are battling for a host in the opening round.

The Dragons made a statement from the opening tipoff, blasting out to a 25-8 lead and firing up the home crowd. The Oilers battled back, however, responding with a 20-7 run that cut TU's lead to just four points with 6:00 left. TU held on and took a 42-36 lead into halftime.

TU maintained its lead, pushing it to 51-38 with 15:00 left in the game. Again Findlay pushed to get back in it, posting a 14-5 run to again get within four points, this time 56-52 with 10:55 to play.

The Dragons never wavered, however, bouncing back with their own 14-6 run that extended their lead to 70-58. Key free throws down the stretch put the game away.

All five Dragons' starters finished in double figures, with Wesley Jordan controlling inside with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Joshua Rivers also had a big game with 16 points and 7 rebounds.

Morgan Taylor had 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Trent Williams had 14 points with 5 rebounds. Ian Lopez also had 14 points with 5 boards.