New Concord, Ohio - Hitting the road for a non-conference contest, the Oberlin College women's basketball team battled with Muskingum in a tight match. Despite a 25-point second quarter from the Crimson and Gold, the Muskies claimed a narrow 68-64 victory.
Appearing in all but one minute of the game, Lily Najmulski registered 17 points, including an impressive 5-7 from behind the arc. Krystal Montas added 14 points to the board as well as eight rebounds and a pair of steals for Oberlin.
Gabby Peña-Hilzen produced 11 points and seven rebounds while for the first time this season, a fourth Obie recorded double-digit points in a single game as
Angela Kumler notched 10 points.
Posting a jumper on the first possession, Peña-Hilzen opened scoring action for Oberlin from within the paint. Muskingum quickly followed with a triple, launching a back-and-forth battle in which neither team held more than a four-point lead in the first quarter.
Montas opened the second period with the first six points for the Crimson and Gold off two free throws and a pair of layups. Maintaining the edge at 30-25, the Yeowomen delivered six unanswered points to extend their lead to the largest advantage of the game with 46 seconds remaining until the halftime break.
Trailing 38-28 in the third, Muskingum recorded the next seven points to cut their deficit to three. Tied at 39-39, Oberlin saw four more ties in the frame as a pair of free throws from Peña-Hilzen produced a 48-48 tie leading into the final session.
Two minutes into the fourth period, Muskingum posted a 7-0 run to pull ahead 61-54. Oberlin responded with their own seven-point surge initiated by a three-pointer from Noa Brown. Both teams battled within the final minutes as the Muskies clinched the tight victory.
Competing in their final non-conference game of the season, Oberlin will return to Philips on Saturday, January 10, when they host DePauw. The weekend tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Keep up with the Crimson and Gold on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and watch every home game on the Oberlin Sports Network online or on Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV.
