Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College men's basketball team started the season in grand fashion, defeating Wittenberg University for the first since 1979 by earning a 65-63 victory on Saturday afternoon at Philips Gym.
 
The triumph snapped a 50-game losing streak the Yeomen had against the Tigers before today. The last Oberlin victory came on February 3, 1979 when both teams were members of the Ohio Athletic Conference. On that day the Yeomen prevailed 67-59.
 
"What an amazing way to start the season," Head Coach Isaiah Cavaco said. "I couldn't be more proud and happy for the guys in our locker room right now. We knew going in we were going to have a chance and when we fell behind we didn't give up and just kept battling. I was really pleased with our effort."
 
Sophomore Jack Poyle put the Yeomen on his back, pouring in a career-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting. Classmate Zach Meyers was also key off the bench, adding nine points, five assists and four rebounds. In limited action due to foul trouble, Randy Ollie finished with eight points and seven rebounds in just 19 minutes.
 
It was nip and tuck throughout the final stretch as the Yeomen fought their way back from a 10-point half-time deficit. A triple-hit from Meyers made it a 45-44 Tigers' advantage with 12:24 left to play. The Yeomen would later tie it at 49-49 on a fast break layup by Jesse Neugarten at the 8:35 mark.
 
After five more minutes of back-and-forth action, Oberlin would take its first lead of the game as Poyle cashed in one of his three 3-pointers to make it 60-59 game with 3:38 remaining. Following a Tiger's turnover, Ollie deposited a layup to extend the Oberlin lead to three.
 
However, four straight points by the Tigers put them back out in front, 63-62, with under a minute to play. Following a timeout, Coach Cavaco designed a play for Nathan Cohen as he drove in from the near wing – got hit – and still finished the layup for a chance at an old fashion 3-point play. The sophomore southpaw converted the free throw with 25 seconds left to play in what proved to be the final point of the game.
 
On the Tigers final possession the Yeomen forced a jump ball with nine seconds to go, but the possession arrow stayed in their favor to give them one last chance. Wittenberg coach Bill Brown dialed up a 3-point try for Sam Collins, but his attempt fell short to give the Yeomen the win.
 
In the first half the Yeomen got off to a slow start as the Tigers opened up an 11-2 lead right from the start. Oberlin eventually found its rhythm, cutting the margin down to two twice, but the Tigers would eventually take a 35-25 cushion into the intermission.
 
Oberlin shot 44.4-percent (24-of-54) from the floor, while the Tigers checked in 45.1-percent (23-of-51). Chad Roy led Wittenberg as he finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
 
Both teams finished with 32 points in the paint, while the Yeomen had a 14-4 advantage in fast break points. However, the Tigers used a 14-4 margin of their own in points in the paint.
 
Oberlin will have a short turn around as they go right back to work tomorrow afternoon against Division I Youngstown State. The opening tip is set for 4 p.m. Fans can watch the game live on ESPN3.