Box Score

Gambier, Ohio – For the second season in a row the Oberlin College men's basketball team traveled to Gambier, Ohio to upend Kenyon College as it defeated the host Lords 66-55 on Wednesday night.

The win looms large in the fate of Oberlin's NCAC Tournament hopes as the Yeomen and Lords are now currently tied for the eighth and final spot in the dance with a conference record of 2-9. The victory also improves the Yeomen's record to 6-14 overall – marking the most wins the program has had since the 2001-2002 season when they went 9-16.

Keynoting the Yeomen triumph was NCAC Freshman of the Year candidate Andrew Fox as he recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Josh Merritt also turned in a great effort with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Rookie Johnathan Nelson was an efficient 5-of-6 from the floor to finish with 10 points.

“This was a good win for us as we really played our style of game tonight,” Head Coach Isaiah Cavaco said. “I felt we really dictated the game on both ends of the floor as our zone defense kept them in check all night and our offense was in rhythm throughout the game.”

Oberlin's defense flustered the Lords in the first half as they made just 2-of-12 3-pointers and shot 34.6-percent (9-of-26) in the session to allow the Yeomen to go into the locker room with a 31-26 lead.

In the second half, Oberlin extended its cushion to 10, 47-37, with 11:36 remaining as Merritt knocked down a triple-hit right in front of the Yeomen bench on the near side. Three minutes later, Oberlin's lead would shrink to just four, 49-45, but a 3-pointer by Pat Bernhard and a layup by Fox would give the Yeomen a 11-point advantage at 56-45 with 5:53 left to play.

The final nail in the coffin came in fine fashion as Merritt drove the lane and dished a behind-the-back pass to James Tompsett who finished the play with an emphatic one-handed throw-down to make it a 62-48 game at the 3:05 mark.

The Yeomen shot an impressive 52-percent (26-of-50) – including a season-high 75-percent (6-of-8) from beyond the arc.

Oberlin controlled the glass with a 34-27 edge and also out-scored Kenyon 34-20 in the paint. Furthermore, the Yeomen capitalized on nearly every miscue by the Lords as they turned 12 turnovers into 21 points.

The Yeomen will look to extend their winning streak to three in a row when they travel to Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday afternoon for a 3 p.m. tilt.