SPRINGFIELD, OH – Tipping off their conference schedule against Wittenberg on the road, the Oberlin College men's basketball team fell in 76-74 in the final second of play. A buzzer-beater by the Tigers push the Crimson and Gold back to an even 4-4 and 0-1 start in the NCAC.
Oberlin gets back on the court for their next conference matchup against Wabash on Saturday, December 2. The home match is slated for 2 p.m.
How It Happened
Oberlin started out the scoring with a jumper from Milun Micanovic before Andrew Gannon hit a trey in the ensuing possession. The home team found their rhythm and went on a 10-3 run cut in half from a three-pointer off the hands of Anastasis Spyroglou. Down 19-12, Spyroglou scored five points in back-to-back possessions to bring the team within five of the Wittenberg lead.
A quick 4-0 run starting at the 6:46 mark saw JJ Gray put string together a layup and a pair of free throws. Capped by a jumper from Yuuki Okubo, the Yeomen battled to stay close before the half. Wittenberg extended their lead to 33-26 behind a trey, but Gray and Gannon combined for six-straight points to come within one. Oberlin outscored the Tigers 4-3 in the final two minutes of the period, but it was Wittenberg who held the 42-38 lead at halftime.
Led by second-year Micanovic, the Yeomen tied to score at 44-all by the 16:56 mark. Back and forth over the next couple of possessions, Oberlin took their first lead since the 17:19 mark in the opening period. A layup from Spyroglou gave the Yeomen the 49-47 edge, extended to 51-47 by a put-up from Micanovic. Holding their advantage until the 9:02 mark, the Crimson and Gold looked to recapture their previous momentum behind a fastbreak layup from Asaan Snipes-Rea.
With 4:54 to go, Okubo gave Oberlin their largest lead of the game at 69-65. Swapping buckets, the Tigers pulled ahead to 74-72 with 32 seconds remaining before committing a foul against Oberlin. Gray hit both free throws to tie it up at 74 apiece. Running the clock down to the final second, Wittenberg drove into the paint to hit the go-ahead jumper and win the game, 76-74.
Game Notes
» Three players finished in double digits for Oberlin, led by with 18 points, and Spyroglou and Gray with 17 and 13, respectively.
» Micanovic notches his first career double-double behind 18 points and ten rebounds.
» The Yeomen forced six of the Tigers' seven turnovers, scoring five points total off the miscues.
» Oberlin scored 25 points off the bench, with the most coming from Spyroglou (17).
Fans can watch all the home matches live online. Home contests can be accessed on a TV through the official Oberlin College Sports Network app on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.
