Oberlin, Ohio – Notching their first win of the conference season, the Oberlin College men's basketball team took down DePauw 72-64 on Saturday evening. With a win over the top team in the conference, the Yeomen improve to 8-6 (1-4) overall.

 
Zach Smith delivered another 20-point game, marking his fifth-straight contest with at least 20 points. He added another five rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block to stretch the stat sheet. JJ Gray tallied ten points and three rebounds, while Milun Micanovic and Sam Kamenko combined for ten rebounds and 14 points. Rob Mager and Liam Gray each went a perfect 2-2 from the three-point arch.
 
Despite not scoring until 14:46, Oberlin made up for their drought with nine-straight points to take a 9-6 lead over DePauw. The Yeomen's offense got rolling thereafter stretching their lead to 14 behind a triple from Adam Navarre.
 
Up 35-21 to start the second half, Smith found Kamenko for layup to continue the Crimson and Gold momentum. The Tigers fought back, cutting the lead in half and bringing the score to 41-35 at the 15:16 mark. DePauw continued to chip away at Oberlin's advantage, ultimately pulling within one score before the Yeomen picked up their pace. A wide-open three-pointer from Micanovic capped a momentous run, but the Tigers continued to stay aggressive.
 
With both teams in the bonus before the five-minute mark, the final chunk of the match was filled with free throws. Oberlin left a handful of points on the table, but the early work came back to reward them as they held on to win their first conference contest.
 
The Yeomen head north to take on their newest conference opponent, John Carroll. The Blue Streaks are currently receiving votes in the national poll, and have a .500 record in NCAC action. Tip-off is set for 7:35 p.m. on Wednesday, January 14.
 
Oberlin returns to the court when they head south to take on Denison, who ranks No. 16 in the country prior to the release of a new poll on Monday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 14.
 
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