Box Score

Oberlin, Ohio – Despite 29 points from senior Jordan Beard the Oberlin College men's basketball team couldn't fight off Denison as the Big Red held on for a 73-64 win over the Yeomen on Saturday afternoon.

Beard, a fifth-year senior and local Oberlin product, finished 10-of-16 from the floor – including a career-high seven threes on 11 attempts. First-year Josh Merritt added his second straight 11-point game – all of which came in the second half.

Oberlin (4-17, 1-11 NCAC) dug itself a steep hole in the first half as they trailed 40-23 at the break. However, the Yeomen didn't go away quietly as they outscored the Big Red (7-14, 4-8 NCAC) 41-33 in the second half.

Falling behind by as many as 23, 54-31, with 15:20 left in the game, the Yeomen slowly chipped away to get within 11, 63-52, just inside the five-minute mark. OC would get as close as nine, 71-62, but just 44 seconds remained in the game as time was not on its side.

Turnovers and free throws were a main factor in the game as Oberlin converted 15 miscues that led to 29 Denison points. On the flip side, the Big Red coughed it up just six times.

The recent Yeomen trend also continued at the free throw line as Denison hoisted 27 charity tosses – making 20 (74.1%), while Oberlin made just eight trips to the stripe – converting six (75%).

The Yeomen shot the ball well from the floor – connecting on 57.1-percent (24-of-42) of their attempts and tied a season-high with 10 triple-hits on 17 tries for a season-best 58.8-percent success rate. Denison checked in at 45.1-percent (23-of-51) overall and 43.8-percent (7-of-16) from beyond the arc.

The Yeomen return to the road on Wednesday night for a 7:30 p.m. meeting with Kenyon.