Freshman guard Nate Axelrod scored 22 of his season-high 32 points during the first half as 17th-ranked Ohio Wesleyan built a 20-point lead, and the Bishops held off an Oberlin comeback to record a North Coast Athletic Conference win over the Yeomen on Wednesday at Branch Rickey Arena.

The win clinched the NCAC championship for Ohio Wesleyan, the Bishops' first since the 1987-88 season, when Ohio Wesleyan and Allegheny shared the title.  This is Ohio Wesleyan's first outright title since the 1986-87 season, head coach Mike DeWitt's senior season.  The win was Ohio Wesleyan's 20th of the season, marking the fourth straight season that the Bishops have reached that mark.

Ohio Wesleyan will be the No. 1 seed in next week's NCAC tournament.  The Bishops will host a quarterfinal contest on Tuesday, and if they advance, will host the semifinals and championship game on Friday, Feb. 27, and Saturday, Feb. 28.

Oberlin had taken a 4-3 lead on a dunk by Randy Ollie before Ohio Wesleyan went on a 15-0 run that included a 3-point play, a lay-in, and a 3-pointer by junior post Claude Gray as well as a 3-pointer by junior post Matt Jeske, with sophomore wing Ben Simpson and junior post Joey Kinsley each adding a pair of free throws.

Three-pointers by Nathan Cohen and Jack Poyle fueled an 8-0 run that brought the Yeomen within 30-24 at the 7:54 mark of the first half.

Axelrod answered with a lay-in and a 3-pointer to push the lead back into double digits, then drilled back-to-back 3-pointers later in the half as the Bishops stretched the margin to 54-34 with 1:05 left in the period.

Oberlin stayed within striking distance early in the second half, with Ollie scoring inside and Zach Meyers and Poyle hitting from outside the arc, and when Ian Campbell knocked down a jumper from the lane, the visitors were within 69-59 with 12:37 remaining.

Ohio Wesleyan countered with a 10-2 run that included a pair of 3-pointers by senior wing Nick Felhaber, giving the Bishops a 79-61 lead approaching the midway point of the half, and Ohio Wesleyan would lead by no fewer than 16 points during the remainder of the contest.

Axelrod went 12-for-16 from the field, including 6-for-8 from beyond the arc, to finish with a season-high 32 points.  He also collected a team-high 8 assists.

Gray was 10-for-15 from the field on the way to 25 points, Simpson finished with 16 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, and Kinsley added a career-high 10 points.

Ollie led Oberlin with 20 points.