Cedarville shows heart in loss against Findlay

By Zeke Dubiel

Backed by an energetic crowd at the Callan Athletic Center, the Cedarville University men’s basketball team showed true resilience in a tough 82-75 loss against the Findlay Oilers. At one time down by 19 in the second half, the Yellow Jackets clawed their way back to single digits.  

Right from the tip-off, Cedarville came out swinging as Jaylen Davis knocked down a 3-pointer to set the tone for the night. From there, the two teams traded shots back and forth with neither being able to find a consistent rhythm on offense or defense. 

Ethan Sellars led the charge early, scoring 10 of his 17 points in the first 20 minutes of play.

By the end of the first half, Cedarville trailed by seven. Their ball movement around the arc was good, but not all of their shots were falling, and they struggled to stop the Oilers on defense. 

“I thought we were a little rushed,” said head coach Rob Jones. “I didn’t think we necessarily took a ton of bad shots, but I didn’t think they were comfortable shots.” 

The second half started like a tug-of-war, with both teams playing physical but neither finding the basket. Almost two minutes into the half, Davis broke the scoring drought with a midrange jumper. On the very next possession, Davis followed up with a triple. 

The early momentum was short-lived as the Oilers scored an unanswered five points of their own. From there, Findlay utilized their excellent passing to create scoring opportunities and push their lead into double digits as Cedarville struggled to secure defensive stops. 

Just as it felt like the game was slipping away for the Jackets, Anthony Ruffolo hit an impressive 3-pointer to keep hope alive. Soon after, Jonathan Whiteside dunked the ball, causing the crowd to erupt again. 

The energy in the gym seemed to shift as Cedarville began to full-court press the Oilers and force several turnovers, leading to points. They continued to chip away at the deficit with contributions from throughout the lineup, bringing the game back within striking distance. 

When it came down to the wire, the Yellow Jackets’ late surge came up short with a seven-point deficit as time expired. Though the outcome was unfavorable, Cedarville never gave up as they worked to close the gap. 

“You don’t learn when you get frustrated,” Jones said. “We have to be hungry to learn and to grow.”

Davis, with 18 points, was the top scorer of the game and exhibited excellent hustle on both ends of the court. Anthony Ruffolo had 14 points, contributing significantly to the late-game push. Sam Johnson added 12 points of his own along with two assists, eight rebounds and one steal.  

“I’d like to thank the crowd,” Jones said. “The crowd was terrific, being alumni weekend, it was awesome to have that many people there.” 

The Yellow Jackets (9-11) hope to learn from the tough loss and bounce back on Feb. 4 in their next game at Ohio Dominion.  

Zeke Dubiel is a senior marketing major and sports writer for Cedars. He enjoys martial arts, playing guitar and cheering on Detroit sports teams.