Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College women's basketball team took to the Philips Gym floor for the first time this season, but unfortunately ended on the wrong end of high-scoring overtime battle with Bluffton University as the Beavers escaped town with a 87-85 win.
 
Cheyenne Arthur led the Yeowomen with 19 points to accompany her five rebounds, while fellow backcourt mate Sammy Spanier stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Jasmine Sorrells also played a big role in the Yeowomen's effort as she dropped in 16 points to go along with eight rebounds, six assists, and four blocks.
 
A 3-pointer from Nora Hemminger  put the Beavers out in front with less than a minute to play and after a turnover, the Yeowomen got new life thanks to an offensive foul away from the ball. Oberlin would take advantage of the good fortune as a beautifully designed in-bounds pass from underneath the basket got Spanier an easy layup to tie the game at 72 with 3.6 seconds to play and force the extra session.
 
Overtime started with each side exchanging 3-pointers with Tyler Collins hitting first for the Yeowomen. Midway through the five-minute frame, the Beavers led 80-75 but a Spanier triple made it a one-possession game once again. However, Oberlin would come up empty on its next two trips down the floor as the lead swelled to six with just 33 seconds to play.
 
A put-back layup from Sorrells had the margin down to 84-80 and with under 10 seconds to go, Nichole Geist was fouled on a 3-point attempt and would go on to make two free throws to make it an 85-82 Beavers' advantage. However, Kyle Brock would hit a pair of charity tosses to ice the game away.
 
It was a nail-biter throughout the 45-minute battle as no more than six points every separated the two foes as the game featured 21 lead changes and 11 ties along the way.
 
Oberlin trailed 16-15 after one period and Emma Saltzman beat the second-quarter buzzer to send the teams into the locker room tied at 35.
 
The second half was much of the same as the differential was no larger than four points, which led to the seesaw battle going into overtime.
 
The Beavers, who shot 45.8 percent (27-of-59) were led by Brianna Gillig's 25 points, while TJ Mills added 19 in the winning effort as they moved to 3-0 on the year.
 
Oberlin shot 47.4 percent, connecting on 36 of the 76 shots it hoisted. However, the Yeowomen suffered from a large discrepancy at the free throw line with seven makes on their nine attempts (77.8%) while the Beavers triggered 42 freebies and cashed in 28 for a 66.7 percent success rate.
 
The Yeowomen, who dropped to 1-4 on the year, will be back on Wednesday, December 4 at Kenyon College. Tip-time is set for 6 p.m.