Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College men's basketball team gave No. 25 Denison all they could handle, but in the end the Big Red were able to escape town with a, 72-69, win over the Yeomen on Wednesday night at Philips Gym.
 
Senior Jack Poyle spearheaded the Yeomen effort with a game- and season-high 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting, which included an impressive 5-of-7 performance from 3-point range. Classmate Nathan Cohen chipped in with 13 points, while rookie Christian Fioretti and sophomore Eric Holt added eight points each off the bench.
 
It was tale of two halves in terms of shooting for the Yeomen as they hit on 50 percent of their shots in the opening period with 16 makes on 32 attempts. However, it was a different story in the second session as the Yeomen were 9-of-28 (32.1%) from the floor. After going 6-of-14 (42.9%) from distance in the first half, the Yeomen were just 2-of-12 (16.7%) from beyond the arc in the second half.
 
The first half featured five lead changes and three ties. Five straight points from Holt had the Yeomen out in front 17-14 at the 12:49 mark, but a quick 6-0 Denison response quickly flipped the margin.
 
Oberlin was later clinging to a one-point lead, 29-28, but a triple-hit from Cohen jumpstarted a 9-2 Yeomen run that also featured a pair of Poyle threes to make it a 38-30 game with 3:19 left in the stanza. However, Oberlin would not score the rest of the way as the Yeomen had to settle for a 38-35 halftime advantage.
 
In the second half the Yeomen would miss 11 of their first 12 field goal attempts, but were able to stay close at the free throw line. A layup from Fioretti cut the Big Red lead down to one, 47-46, at the 11:36 mark and just over a minute later Oberlin would retake the lead on a pair of Zach Moo Young free throws.
 
The Big Red would answer back with a 13-4 run to open up a 60-52 advantage with 6:33 left in the game. Denison would go on to increase their cushion to as many as 11, 67-56, with 2:18 left on the clock, but the Yeomen wouldn't go away without a fight.
 
With 58 ticks left a Holt 3-pointer had the Yeomen within two possession at 69-63, and following a pair of Big Red free throws, Poyle would cash in one of his five threes to shrink the gap down to five with 23 seconds to go. Following a timeout, Fioretti would steal the Denison in-bound pass and lay it in to make it a one-possession game.
 
A quick foul would send Garrett Collier to the line with a three-point lead and 18 seconds left to expire. The Yeomen got exactly what they wanted as he missed both charity tosses, but Oberlin was unable to capitalize, turning it over its next possession.
 
However, there was still life as Denison missed its fastbreak layup and Joshua Friedkin was quickly fouled and sent to the free throw line. He made the first and intentionally missed the second, but the Big Red would come down with the rebound with three seconds left.
 
Devon Pitts would split the pair, leaving hope for a half-court heave from Poyle at the buzzer, but the miracle was not answered.
 
Jett Speelman led the Big Red effort with 19 points, while Bret Woolard added 17 off the bench. For the game, Denison shot an impressive 53.7 percent with 29 makes on 54 shots.
 
The Big Red won the rebounding war 41-21 and outscored the Yeomen 42-30 in the paint. However, Oberlin produced 21 points off 18 Denison turnovers.
 
The Yeomen will play their final game before the holiday break on Saturday afternoon as they travel south to take on Ohio Wesleyan at 3 p.m.