Oberlin, Ohio – Behind career-high efforts from Nathan Cohen and Matt Walker, the Oberlin College men's basketball team earned a 75-67 win over the visiting Wabash College Little Giants on Saturday afternoon at Philips Gym.
Cohen finished with a career-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Walker deposited 8-of-10 attempts for 16 points to accompany his team-high six rebounds.
Oberlin also got strong efforts from Scott Miller as he dialed in on 3-of-5 triple-tries to add nine points to his three assists. Ian Campbell was key in his 14 minutes of work off the bench as he checked in with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting.
As a team the Yeomen shot a season-high 63-percent with 29 makes on 46 shots, which included a season-best 64.3-percent effort from beyond the arc as they connected on 9-of-14 long-distance attempts.
In the opening half the Yeomen would open up a nine-point lead, 31-22, on a Sam Kreisberg layup with 5:29 left on the clock. However, The Little Giants held the Yeomen to just three points the rest of the way, closing the frame on an 11-3 run as Oberlin went into the locker room with the slimmest of margins at 34-33.
The Yeomen started the second half with a flurry, taking its first double-digit lead of the game on a Walker jumper in the paint that made it 46-36 with 16:40 left to play. The game of runs continued as the Little Giants shrunk the deficit back to two, 53-51, following a 3-pointer by Kyle Aiton.
However, on the ensuing possession Campbell answered with a triple-hit of his own from the near wing, which jump-started a 17-3 Yeomen surge that lasted seven minutes and made the score 70-54 with just 1:26 left to play. Wabash made one final push in the closing moments to get back within single digits, but the eventual outcome was never in doubt.
The Little Giants, who were led by a game-high 22 points from Daniel Purvlicis, shot 43.1-percent (25-of-58) in the loss. They also struggled from the free throw line, making just 10-of-18 attempts for a 55.6-percent success rate.
With the victory Oberlin stopped a four-game skid and moved its record to 7-10 overall and 3-7 in the NCAC. Wabash fell to 11-6 and 6-4 in the league.
The Yeomen will conclude their three-game homestand on Wednesday night when Kenyon College comes to town for an 8 p.m. tip.