Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College men's basketball team held No. 19 Ohio Wesleyan to a season-low 67 points, but the Yeomen couldn't take advantage as the Bishops escaped town with a 67-58 win on Saturday afternoon at Philips Gym.
 
The Bishops entered the game shooting 50 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from the 3-point line. However, the Yeomen defense held them well below those averages as they made just 4-of-27 (14.8%) 3-pointers while hitting on 25-of-62 (40.3%) shots overall.
 
Unfortunately, the lid was on the rim for both sides as the Yeomen checked in at 33.3 percent (23-of-69) shooting and made just 3-of-17 (17.6%) triple-tries.
 
Andre Campbell led the Yeomen offense, scoring eight of his 14 points in the second half to accompany his eight rebounds. Sophomore Charles Tiedemann was the only other Yeoman in double-digits as he scored 10 points in just 11 minutes to mark the third time this season he has reached double figures. Rookie Isaac Finestone also provided a spark off the bench, scoring seven points while matching Christian Fioretti with a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
OWU raced out to an early 15-4 lead, but the Yeomen would settle in to get back into the game. A jumper from Tiedemann had the deficit down to five, 25-20, with 5:52 left in the half. A put-back layup by Finestone at the 2:20 mark had the Yeomen within one at 29-28, but OWU would close the half with six straight points – including a 4-point play from Nate Axelrod who led all scorers with 26 points.
 
A three from Axelrod with 12:03 left in the game pushed the Bishops' lead to 50-39, but Oberlin wouldn't go away without a fight. A 9-1 response run that featured a triple-hit from Patrick Smith and six points from Campbell had the Yeomen back within three at 51-48 with 8:43 left to play.
 
Back-to-back finishes in the paint by Tiedemann had the gap down to just two at 56-54 with over six minutes left to play, but Oberlin managed just one field goal and two made free throws the rest of the way. A pair of charity tosses by Evan Suppa moved the count to 58-56 at the 2:35 mark, but the Yeomen would be blanked until he made a layup with just 27 ticks left.
 
Oberlin won the hustle battle as it out-rebounded OWU 48-36, which included a 15-7 edge on the offensive end which led to a 14-10 advantage in second-chance points. The Yeomen bench bunch outscored its counterparts 32-8.
 
The Bishops moved to 7-1 overall and 3-0 in the NCAC while the Yeomen head into the holiday break at 4-5 overall and 0-5 conference play.
 
The Yeomen will be back in action at home on December 29 when they open the Courtyard by Marriott Holiday Classic against Chatham University at 6 p.m.