Oberlin, Ohio - The Oberlin College women's basketball team launched their 2025-26 season hosting Carnegie Mellon on Tuesday evening. Despite trailing the visitors by one point with four minutes remaining in the match, the Tartans were able to secure the narrow 53-50 victory. 

Lily Najmulski led the Crimson and Gold with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists, and a steal while also going 4-4 in free throws. Angela Kumler recorded 12 points, eight boards, six steals, and three assists to help pace Oberlin. Contributing to the Yeowomen defense, Krystal Montas delivered nine rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. 

Noa Brown posted her collegiate debut, starting for Oberlin and playing 27 minutes. The rookie guard added six points and a rebound, highlighted by two shots from downtown. Classmate Summer Wish also made her debut with the Crimson and Gold, registering two points and a pair of assists in her 17 minutes. 

Carnegie Mellon opened the match by sending their shot from outside the arc. Hoping to extend their lead on a layup, Kumler notched a strong defense blocking the shot before claiming the rebound. Bringing the ball to the Oberlin offensive end, Najmulski sent the ball to Kumler, leveling the match from the three. Trailing 7-6 at 6:15, the Crimson and Gold battled for the advantage. Two minutes later, Najmulski produced the long-range shot to pull ahead 9-7 as Oberlin maintained the edge for the remaining four minutes of the opening period.

A pair of made free throws and a layup from Namulski and a layup from Katherine Csiszar launched the Crimson and Gold to a 5-0 run to open the second session. Maintaining a 24-15 deficit, the Tartans produced a 10-2 surge over a five-minute stretch, holding Oberlin off the board for all but a fastbreak layup from Montas. With 0:29 remaining on the clock, a Carnegie Mellon layup clinched the narrow 27-26 lead going into halftime. 

A layup from Najmulski opened scoring action for the Crimson and Gold two minutes into the third quarter. At 5:58, Anora Lee stole the ball from the Tartans, quickly bringing the possession to the Oberlin offensive end as Kumler drained the three to level the match 31-31. Trailing the visitors 35-31, Brown knocked down her second triple of the match to come within one. Despite shooting their best period of the match, the Tartans held a slight 44-42 edge over the Crimson and Gold entering the final quarter.

Administering an aggressive defense from each side, both teams delivered their lowest scoring production in the final period. Maintaining a slight 52-46 deficit, back-to-back Csiszar layups helped close the gap for Oberlin with under two minutes remaining. With two seconds until time expired, Carnegie Mellon made the second of two free-throw attempts to clinch the 53-50 victory. 

The Crimson and Gold will resume competition on Saturday, November 15, when they travel to Penn State Behrend. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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