Westerville, Ohio – Needing overtime to settle the first game of the Smokey Ballenger Classic, the Oberlin College women's basketball team nearly completed their comeback, but ultimately fell short to Hamilton 80-70. The Crimson and Gold drop to 7-4 on the year.
 
Angela Kumler led the offense with 20 points, while cashing in a pair of rebounds and two steals. Camille Zinaich continued her dominant run in DIII basketball with her second-consecutive double-double. The senior dropped 19 and pulled in 14 rebounds, with 13 of those coming on defense.
 
Ellie Pollock-Ballard also finished in double-digits with 14 points, shooting 4-8 from the field. Anora Lee and Lily Najmulski combined for 15 rebounds, six assists, and 11 points.
 
Oberlin's balanced offense saw them ahead 6-2 in the opening minutes of the quarter, but a pair of buckets gave Hamilton their first lead of the game at 5:40. The Yeowomen went point-for-point with the Continentals but sat behind 19-17 at the end of the first period.
 
Hamilton's momentum continued into the second quarter, holding Oberlin to free-throws until Lee hit a jump to spark the Crimson and Gold offense. Pollock-Ballard answered with a triple to bring Oberlin back within one of Hamilton's lead. The Yeowomen chased the Continentals through the final minutes of the half, bolstered by jumpers from Zinaich and Najmulski to close the period down 38-34.
 
The Yeowomen picked up the pace coming out of the halftime break, outscoring Hamilton 17-14 and outrebounding them 10-8. A layup from Kumler at the 5:28 mark tied the game at 46-46 as Oberlin stayed withing striking distance into the final period. With 1:476 remaining in the game, Oberlin took their first lead after Kumler stole the ball to set up a Zinaich jumper in the paint. With a 63-62 advantage, a layup battled took over the final minute of the game to lead the two foes into overtime.
 
Tied at 65-65, Krystal Montas put Oberlin up with a layup before Hamilton responded accordingly. Zinaich scored Oberlin's next bucket before the game was tied again, forcing another obertime period.
 
Oberlin fell behind early after the Continentals put up seven straight points to start the second overtime period. Only broken up by a free-throw from Zinaich, the Yeowomen fell behind by too much to mount a comeback in the final minutes.
 
The Yeowomen have a quick turnaround for their next game, when they take on the host school tomorrow, Monday, December 30. The Oberlin versus Otterbein matchup is set to tip off at 2 p.m.

Fans can keep up with their favorite teams on Instagram, Facebook, X, or TikTok, and watch all the home matches live online. The Crimson and Gold's home broadcasts can be access on TV through the official Oberlin College Sports Network app on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.