Box Score

November 24 – Stingy defense and sharp shooting propelled the Oberlin College men's basketball team to an impressive 67-52 win over Westminster on Monday night at Philips Gym.

The senior duo of Jordan Beard and Mike Loll led the way offensively with 21 and 15 points respectively. Beard, a local product from Oberlin, had a strong first half with 16 points – dialing in on four triple-tries in the stanza.

The defensive intensity for the Yeomen was prevalent throughout the entire 40 minutes as OC held the Titans to just 25.8-percent (17-of-66) shooting – including a lock-down effort on the perimeter – limiting Westminster to just two 3-pointers on 20 attempts. Oberlin also ripped off 11 steals and forced the Titans into 18 turnovers, which turned into 21 Yeomen points.

The Yeomen also got strong contributions from Omari Hall who added nine points off of the bench, and first-year Josh Merritt who recorded a team-high eight rebounds and three steals.

“This was a big win for us,” head coach Isaiah Cavaco said. “It really builds momentum for our team as we head out to California for a tough three-game stretch. We played a complete game tonight and I was happy with the effort from everyone.”

Oberlin (1-1) jumped out to a 21-8 lead at the 10:30 mark of the first half on Beard triple-hit and continued to flourish offensively throughout the half to build a 39-23 advantage at the break.

However, the Titans did not go away quietly - fighting back in the second half to get within six, 46-40, with 11:33 left to play. But the Yeomen, who led from wire-to-wire, would not let them get any closer the rest of the way.

Oberlin heads to the west coast for games against Cal Tech (Nov. 26), Pomona-Pitzer (Nov. 28) and Claremont-McKenna (Nov. 29) before returning to back east for a Dec. 3 road tilt against perennial NCAC power Wooster.