OBERLIN, OH – The Oberlin College men's basketball ended their skid with a 79-69 win over Albion on Saturday afternoon. Debuting their black jerseys at home, the Yeomen dominated the Britons as they improve to 5-6 (0-3).
The home victory was led by JJ Gray with 27 points and four rebounds. Will Bousquette III also finished in double-digits, with 15 points, going 4-8 from the arch. Yuuki Okubo oiled the offense with a team-high 11 assists to complement his four points and two steals. Milun Micanovic and Asaan Snipes-Rea led the defensive charge, each bringing down eight rebounds in the contest.
Oberlin takes a break for the holidays before returning to action on December 30. The squad takes on Penn State Altoona, tipping off at 2 p.m.
How It Happened
A layup off the hands of Micanovic gave Oberlin the first lead of the game, but the Brits used a 4-0 run to take the lead. Responding with a run of their own, Oberlin went on a 14-4 run, highlighted by a trio of free throws from Bousquette when the sharpshooter took advantage of a shooting foul outside the arch. Midway through the half, Zach Smith drilled a shot from long to extend the Oberlin lead to 18-10. Bousquette knocked down another three-pointer minutes later, giving the Yeomen their first ten-point lead of the half.
Albion battled back in the final minutes of the half, pulling within four of the Oberlin lead with 1:05 remaining. Holding the ball for the final shot, Zach Bronson missed from the elbow, but the Crimson and Gold maintained a 31-27 lead for the halftime break. The balanced attack saw eight different Yeomen score, led by Andrew Gannon and Bousquette with six apiece. The team took advantage of their free points, shooting 7-7 at the charity stripe.
Okubo got the Yeomen started in the second half, finding Gray for a shot outside the arch. The Crimson and Gold continued to attack from long, as Bousquette knocked down back-to-back threes in the ensuing possessions. Albion outscored the Yeomen 15-7 over the next five minutes, going 5-9 from the field to bring the score to 49-48. Oberlin responded with eight straight points to reclaim a comfortable, double-digit lead. Although the non-conference foes swapped even points in the final minutes of action, the hard work early on paid off for the Yeomen. Oberlin secured the 79-69 home victory before their three-week break.
Game Notes
» Nine players scored in the game, seven of those players also brought in a defensive rebound.
» Bousquette and Gray accounted for six of the team's nine three-pointers.
» The Yeomen scored 19 points off the bench, and nine points off Albion's turnovers.
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.
