FINDLAY, Ohio - After trailing for most of the game, Tiffin women's basketball cut the deficit to just one with six minutes left, but Findlay pulled away down the stretch for a 76-66 win.
With the Oilers holding a seven-point lead after three quarters, the Dragons quickly erased that deficit with a 10-3 run to make it 56-55 in favor of Findlay. Brooke Wesner had eight of Tiffin's 10 points in the run, including back-to-back triples to begin the final quarter.
However, Findlay responded with a 6-0 run of their own to go back up by seven, and the Oilers' lead would stay above four for the rest of the game.
Findlay native Savanah Richards had a very impressive outing in her first game back in her hometown, scoring a career-best 30 points on 8-18 shooting, including 7-12 from beyond the three-point line. The seven made triples ties the TU record for most threes in a game since Tiffin joined Division II, equalling the mark shared by Jen Johnston and Jordan Fraley. Richards also tallied five rebounds, six assists, and three steals to lead the Dragons.
Wesner was next for TU with 16 points, followed by Jada Tate with nine points and nine rebounds. Aarion Nichols added eight boards for Tiffin, but the Dragons' leading scorer had her lowest scoring output of the season with just four points.
Findlay shot over 50% from the field, but the Dragons held the advantage from deep at 37.5% to 22.2%.
Tiffin also forced 23 Oiler turnovers, leading to 21 points off those giveaways.
Despite the loss, the Dragons still have a very good chance of making the postseason with just two games left to play. Tiffin is currently tied for the eighth and final playoff spot according to the standings, but they hold the advantage over fellow 6-10 team Trevecca Nazarene in the points rating system that ultimately determines playoff seeding.
Tiffin also has the more favorable remaining schedule as they host last-place Ohio Valley next Saturday for one of their two remaining contests, while the Trojans have two games left against teams in the top half of the GMAC.