Box Score

Oberlin, Ohio – Five players scored in double figures as the Oberlin College men's basketball team won a thrilling season-opener 85-77 over Mount Aloysius on Sunday afternoon at Philips Gym.

“This was a good win for us and great way to start our season,” Head Coach Isaiah Cavaco said. “I liked our balance on offense and thought we did a good job of battling through some tight spots in the game.”

The Yeomen were led by promising rookie Andrew Fox with 20 points to go along with eight boards and seven assists. Sophomore Marcus Johnson was 4-of-7 from behind the arc as he finished with a career-high 18 points. Freshman Johnathan Nelson also had an outstanding collegiate debut with 17 points and six rebounds – five of which came on the offensive end. Junior Ryan Magiera netted 12 points and classmate James Tompsett added 11 in the win.

The score was tied at 70 with just under five minutes left to play when Nelson converted an old-fashioned three-point play, which jump started a 14-2 Yeomen run to secure the win.

Oberlin, who led by one at the break 36-35, had its offense come to life in the second half behind some sharp shooting by Johnson as his first of four straight threes broke a 40-all tie at the 16:49 mark while his last triple-hit resulted in a 56-48 advantage with 11:55 left to play.

Mount Aloysius (0-1) jumped out to a 12-3 lead out of the gates, but the Yeomen (1-0) responded with a 11-0 spurt of their own to take a 14-12 lead with 11:55 left in the opening half. The Mounties would extend their lead back up to seven, 27-20, but Oberlin used a 9-0 run to get right back into it before the end of the half.

All in all the game featured 12 lead changes and 10 ties. The Yeomen had 42 points in the paint compared to 34 for the Mounties. OC also had a 20-16 edge on second chance points, including a 12-2 advantage in the second half.

The Yeomen return to action on Friday night in Chicago, Illinois, as they will be taking on the host North Central Cardinals on day one of the North Central Tournament. The opening tip is set for 8:30 EST.