Oberlin, Ohio - The Oberlin College men's basketball team earned its first North Coast Athletic Conference victory of the season, erasing a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat the visiting Hiram College Terriers, 81-59, on Wednesday night at Philips Gym.

Five Yeomen finished in double figures, led by a career-high 23-point performance from junior Andrew Gannon. Sophomore Milun Micanovic notched his third double-double of the year with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while junior Yuuki Okubo also had a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists. First-year JJ Gray added 14 points, while senior Anastasis Spyroglou chipped in 11 off the bench on an efficient 5-of-9 shooting. 

After a lackluster first half that saw the Yeomen shoot just 35.1 percent (13-of-37) and turn it over six times en route to a 39-32 deficit, it was a different story over the final 20 minutes of play as Oberlin outscored Hiram 49-20 in the second half. 

Gannon jump started the rally, scoring 12 points over the first 5:31 of the session to give the Yeomen a 52-46 lead. Moments later, the Yeomen would grab their first double-digit lead of the game on a fastbreak layup from Spyroglou. 

A Trent Jakacki 3-pointer had the Terriers within nine, 60-51, at the midway point of the second half, but the Yeomen responded by ripping off a 16-0 run over the next five minutes to balloon the lead out to 25 and never looked back. The burst featured bookend triple-hits from Spyroglou and Gray, and eight points from Micanovic along the way.

Jakacki led the Terriers (2-11, 0-4 NCAC) with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Ivan Yang also notched a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. 

Oberlin (7-6, 1-3 NCAC) shot 60 percent from the floor in the second half, connecting on 18 of the 30 shots it hoisted. For the game, the Yeomen outscored Hiram 44-34 in the paint and forced 17 turnovers that they turned into 21 points. 

Oberlin continues its three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon as the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan University come to town for a 2 p.m. tip.