Granville, Ohio – The Oberlin College men's basketball team fell to the Denison University Big Red, 80-61, at Livingston Gym Wednesday evening.
 
Joshua Friedkin had another strong outing leading all scorers with 23 points as he shot 8-of-14 (57%) from the field and 5-of-10 (50%) from three-point land. Isaac Finestone and Nile Godfrey each scored in double figures off the bench. Finestone scored a career-high 11 points as he shot 5-of-8 (62.5%) while Godfrey contributed 10 points, making three of his seven shots.
 
After Friedkin's made jumper 16 seconds into the opening frame, Denison would go on a 31-6 run to take a commanding 23-point lead, 31-8, with 10:37 on the clock. The Big Red would extend their cushion to 35 points, 52-17, with 3:52 left in the half when Sheldon Freeman finished off the traditional three-point play at the charity stripe.
 
One of Friedkin's five made three's with 3:36 left in the frame sparked a 12-6 Yeomen run, which cut the Denison advantage to 58-29 before the intermission.  
 
The Big Red held a commanding lead the remainder of the second half, only letting the Yeomen get within 20 points on two occasions. Oberlin would cut the lead to 60-40 when Friedkin passed Finestone open for an easy layup with 14:32 left in the game. The Yeomen continued to fight until the end and outscored the Big Red 17-7 in the final 6:22 of play which was capped off by a made three by Godfrey at the 1:28 mark.
 
Despite the setback, Oberlin outshot Denison as it connected on 22-of-49 (44.9%) shots from the field, which included a 10-of-23 (43.5%) showing from beyond the arc. The Big Red went 27-of-62 (43.5%) from the floor and cashed in 7-of-23 (30.4%) 3-point attempts.
 
The Yeomen fall to 4-4 on the year and remain winless in conference play at 0-4, while Denison improves to 6-1 this season and is 3-0 in league play.
 
Oberlin host Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday as part of a men's and women's doubleheader with the women starting at 1 p.m. and the men slated for a 3 p.m. opening tip.