Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College men's basketball team gave the visiting Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops all they could handle, but in the end it was OWU who prevailed past the Yeomen, 67-62, on Saturday afternoon at Philips Gymnasium.
 
Oberlin led for over 33 minutes of the game, but could not make it stand up until the final buzzer.  A jumper in the paint from Andre Campbell with 4:03 left to play had the Yeomen clinging to a 58-57 lead, but just over a minute later a pair of Nate Axelrod free throws put the Bishops out in front for good.
 
A strong finish in the lane from Eli Silverman-Lloyd had the deficit back down to one, 63-62, with 44 ticks left, but two Yeomen turnovers down the stretch proved costly as the Bishops were able to escape town with the win.
 
Campbell, a freshman from San Francisco, California, led the Oberlin charge with a career-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting to spearhead a trio of Yeomen who finished in double-figures. Silverman-Lloyd posted 14 points on a 6-of-11 effort as he matched Campbell and Jack Poyle with a team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore Eric Holt continued his hot hand, notching his fifth straight double-digit performance with 15 points – 10 of which came in the first half.
 
Oberlin controlled the early part of the contest, opening up a 20-12 advantage on a Joshua Friedkin triple-hit at the 8:40 mark. OWU would respond with an 11-2 run to grab its lone lead of the opening stanza at 23-22, but it was the Yeomen who ultimately went into the break protecting a 26-25 cushion.
 
After a sluggish first half in which they shot just 34.5 percent (10-of-29), the Bishops found their rhythm in the second session, connecting at a 52.2 percent clip with 12 makes on 23 attempts.
 
However, it was the Yeomen who mirrored their hot start in the first half in the second as they quickly extended their favorable margin out to eight, 36-28, on a Silverman-Lloyd 3-pointer with just over 16 minutes left to play.
 
True to their name, the Bishops kept battling and chipped away at the Oberlin advantage and would ultimately tie the game at 49 on a 3-ball from Erick Bryant at the 7:14 mark.  On their next possession, Axelrod would connect from distance to give the Bishops their first lead of the second half.
 
Over the final 6:37 no more than three points separated the two foes, but unfortunately for the Yeomen the final result was not in their favor as they have now dropped six games by five points or less.
 
Axelrod led a foursome of Bishops in double-figures as he dropped in 22 points to go along with six assists.
 
Oberlin won the rebounding battle 37-23 and out-shot the Bishops 47.1 percent (24-of-51) to 42.3 percent (22-of-52). However, the Yeomen bench bunch was outscored by its counterpart 16-2.
 
The Yeomen have a quick turnaround as they travel to Hiram College on Monday night for a 7:30 p.m. tilt. The Terriers topped the Yeomen just a week ago (Jan. 21) in Oberlin, 74-67.