Box Score FINDLAY, Ohio -- A shorthanded Notre Dame Falcons squad fell hard on Saturday afternoon to the No. 13 (NABC Poll) Findlay Oilers, 98-57. (Box)

For the second game in a row, the Falcons were without their two biggest bodies, Eric Dummermuth, and Nate Ensz, leaving them a little thin up front.

For Notre Dame (1-4), the loss marks their fourth in a row, since defeating Houghton (N.Y.), 79-76, in overtime to open the season.  The victory for the Oilers (6-1) was their fifth in a row, since dropping a 74-71 decision to Malone back on Nov. 15, which ended their 71 game home winning streak. 

The Oilers wasted no time getting started, as they began the game with an 8-0 run.  The Falcons were able to hang with Findlay for parts of the first half, and found themselves down by just four (14-10) at the 12:52-mark, after Raphie Tekie drilled a 3-pointer.  However, Findlay responded quickly and caught fire from the floor, going on a 17-3 run over the next five minutes to take a 31-13 lead, and never looked back. 

After the aforementioned 17-3 run, the Oilers held a double digit lead the rest of the way.  The Oilers were not done, as they went on a 14-2 run over the final five minutes of the half, and went into the locker room with a 49-26 lead. 

Notre Dame received 10 first half points from Phil Biggs, and shot 40.9 percent (9-for-22) from the floor in the opening stanza, but could not find an answer for the red hot Findlay offense.  The Oilers shot an incredible, 56.4 percent (22-for-39) from the floor in the first half, and outrebounded NDC, 22-11 in the first 20 minutes of the contest. 

Unfortunately for the Falcons, things didn't get any easier in the second half, because the Oilers remained hot, shooting 68.9 percent (20-for-29) from the floor in the second stanza.  Troy Baugh buried a 3-pointer at the 18:31-mark to narrow the deficit to 22 (51-29), but that was as close as the Falcons would get the rest of the way. 

With Dummermuth and Ensz out, the Falcons had a tough time crashing the glass, as they were outrebounded by the Oilers, 40-20 on the afternoon.  In addition, Findlay set a school record with 30 assists, and forced 15 Notre Dame turnovers.

Biggs finished the game with 14 points to lead the Falcons, and he was the only Falcon to score in double figures.  Biggs also led Notre Dame with four rebounds.  Baugh and Marcquice Taylor chipped in with eight points each, and Taylor added four assists. 

Notre Dame shot 42 percent (21-for-50) from the floor, and hit on just 33.3 percent (6-for-18) of their shots from beyond the arc.  Foul shots continued to be an issue for the Falcons, as they made just 60 percent (9-for-15) of their free throws.


The Oilers seemingly could not miss, as they shot 61.8 percent of their shots on 42-for-68 shooting, including a 40 percent clip (10-for-25) from 3-point land.  Findlay had four players score in double figures and of the 14 players that participated in the game, 13 registered at least one assist. 

Notre Dame's next game is slated for Friday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m., when the Falcons visit the Raiders of Roberts Wesleyan in Rochester, N.Y.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

SERIES HISTORY: Saturday's meeting marked the second all time between the two institutions.  The Oilers defeated the Falcons, 83-65 in Findlay, back on Feb. 6, 2007. In that game, the Falcons shot the ball exceptionally well, nailing 56.8-percent (35-for-44) of their shots, and especially caught fire in the second half where they shot 63.6-percent (14-for-22).  The Oilers however, got off 23 more shots than the Falcons, and out-rebounded NDC, 37-26. 

RANK 'EM: With Notre Dame's loss to Findlay on Saturday, the Falcons are now 0-6 against teams ranked in a Top-25 Poll over the last two seasons.  Last year, Notre Dame went 0-5 in games against teams from the NAIA-II Top-25 Coaches Poll.  The Oilers entered Saturday's contest, ranked 13th in the NABC/NCAA-II poll.

OIL RIGS: The Oilers are members of the GLIAC (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference), and are considered to be one of the elite men's basketball programs in NCAA-II.  They have won 23 games or more in each of their last 10 seasons, including a 36-0 mark in 2008-09, when they won the NCAA-II national championship.