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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Josh Bostic made sure Findlay gained its measure of revenge against Northern Kentucky University on the basketball court Saturday night, and the junior forward did so with an impressive, all-around performance. Bostic scored 29 points, grabbed eight rebounds and finished with four steals as Findlay posted a 66-53 win over NKU in the John L. Griffin/Lions Club Classic. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Bostic also dished out three assists and made a pair of 3-point shots as the Oilers - ranked No. 5 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll - improved to 2-0. "That position has been an Achilles’ heel for us for a long time now - the strong power forward who can do multiple things. For whatever reason, we haven’t been able to answer any of those calls, and I’m not sure why," NKU head coach Dave Bezold said of Bostic. "He did a tremendous job against us. We shut down some of their other guys who had hurt Christian Brothers the night before, but we couldn't contain Bostic." Just eight months ago, NKU snapped Findlay's 59-game home winning streak with a 60-56 victory during the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region semifinals. The Oilers responded Saturday night in Regents Hall in big-time fashion, winning the rebounding battle by a 30-16 margin and shooting 54.5 percent from the field. "We battled them. My concern with this team was where the leadership was going to come from when it gets rough," Bezold said. "The score is tied 41-all and we have a couple of possessions with great looks, but we don’t make the shots. Then they come down the floor and make their shots and all of a sudden we fall apart defensively. "When we couldn’t make the shots and answer the call, we never got back on track. We’re going to have to find out who is going to step up and do those things for us." NKU (1-1) rallied from a 32-26 halftime deficit to take a 38-37 lead when Anthony Teague drained a pair of 3-pointers. Bostic, however, countered with a basket to give Findlay a 39-38 advantage. Dennis Gagai buried a 3-pointer to give NKU a 41-39 lead, but Findlay used a 12-1 run to take a 51-42 lead with 7:01 remaining. Tyler Sparks began the spurt with two straight baskets and later hit a 3-pointer during the run. A conventional three-point play by Lee Roberts gave the Oilers a 54-44 lead with 5:43 on the clock, and Findlay cruised to the win. Bostic was named the most outstanding player of the two-day tournament for Findlay. Teague came off the bench and scored 13 points to lead NKU. The 6-5 senior also was named NKU's most outstanding player of the two-day tournament. "The shots that I hit were big at the time, but they didn’t mean anything at the end because we lost the game," said Teague, who was granted a season-of-competition waiver by the NCAA on Friday to play another year. "We’ll go back and watch the game film. We just need to be tough as a team - as a unit." Mark Hawkins added 12 points for the Norse, who shot 48.6 percent from the field. Gagai and Vincent Humphrey each scored eight points for NKU. Humphrey, a senior forward, was named the John L. Griffin Hustle Award recipient for his play during the two-day event. NKU will travel to Big Rapids, Mich., next Saturday to meet Ferris State. |
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