Box Score

Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College men's basketball team gave No. 25 Wooster all it could handle on Wednesday night at Philips Gym, but in the end the Scots outlasted the Yeomen 66-58.

Freshman standout Andrew Fox guided the Yeomen offense with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, while sophomore Josh Merritt added 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

“I really liked our effort today,” Head Coach Isaiah Cavaco said. “I thought our team stepped up to the challenge and showed some strong character by not backing down to these guys.”

The Yeomen trailed 29-19 with 5:17 left in the first half, but they would close the frame on 10-3 run go into the locker room down by just three, 32-29.

Wooster (12-4, 7-0 NCAC) quickly built a 44-30 advantage with 16:35 remaining in the game, but Oberlin (4-12, 0-7 NCAC) would not go down without a fight. A 10-2 OC spurt would get the Yeomen to within six, 46-40, with 10:28 left on the clock. A James Tompsett lay-up would make it a four-point game, 60-56, with 1:39 left to play. A pair of Fox free throws with 33 seconds left would again get Oberlin within four, 62-58, but the Scots would go 4-of-6 at the line in the closing moments to preserve the win.

The free throw line is where the Yeomen really hurt themselves as they connected on just 13-of-21 freebies for a 61.9-percent success rate. After making 15 of their first 16 free throws, Wooster would finish 19-of-24 at the line for a 79.2-percent clip.

Despite outscoring Wooster 30-18 in the paint, Oberlin lost the rebounding war 39-27. The Yeomen defense did create 13 steals and the Scots 18 turnovers led to 13 OC points.

Oberlin will conclude its three-game homestand when Wabash comes to town on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tilt.