Oberlin, Ohio – In celebration of Black History Month, the Oberlin College men's basketball team, in collaboration with the Black Student-Athlete Group, hosted a celebration game for black history and excellence. Despite the festivities, the Yeomen fell 89-76 against RV John Carroll. Oberlin moves to 10-12 (3-10) on the year.
 
Zach Smith led the Crimson and Gold in the scoring margin, knocking down 24 points and four rebounds. JJ Gray, who just recently surpassed the 1,000 career points mark, scored 18 points, four rebounds, and one assist. Rounding out the double-digit scorers was Rob Magner with 12 points, five rebounds, and one block.
 
On the defense, Sam Kamenko had an impressive night, notching 12 rebounds to lead the Yeomen on the backboards.
 
The Blue Streaks had a quick start to the game, scoring seven unanswered points before Gray converted in the paint. Noah Kim scored on a fast break, and Oberlin quickly found themselves right back within striking distance. At 13:24, Kim hit a jumper after rebounding a missed shot from Liam Gray, giving Oberlin their first lead of the night. Oberlin's hot streak came to a close just after the midway point in the half, giving way to a 15-0 run for JCU. The Yeomen struggled to minimize the deficit but managed to cut into it with a buzzer-beater from Gray to end the half.
 
Down 46-35, Oberlin had another slow start to the game until Kamenko hit a three-pointer to jolt the home team. The Yeomen had a significantly better second half, only being outscored 43-41. Oberlin scored ten points off second chances and capitalized on turnovers, notching another nine points from the Blue Streaks' blunders. Despite a more complete half, the Yeomen were unable to mount a sufficient comeback and fell in the holiday matchup.
 
The Crimson and Gold hit the road and head to Wittenberg for a weekend matchup on Saturday, February 14. As the second game of a doubleheader, the Yeomen tip-off at 4 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.