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Senior co-captain Quinton Spencer drives past an Earlham College (Ind.) defender in his final home game at Philips Gymnasium |
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by Erik Kojola '09
February 17, 2007 -- In their final game of the 2006-2007 season, the Oberlin men’s basketball team earned an exciting 79-76 win over visiting Earlham College (Ind.). The Yeomen used a 16-point run in the first half to propel the victory. With the win, Oberlin’s final record is 5-20 (4-12), while Earlham falls to 8-16 (6-9).
Oberlin used good shooting and tough defense to defeat the Quakers, who had beat the Yeomen 76-59 earlier in the season. Earlham would take the lead early in the game, but Oberlin would respond and hold the lead throughout the second half despite a few runs by the Quakers. The Yeomen got strong performances from sophomore Mike Loll, senior Quinton Spencer, and junior Jordan Beard.
Earlham started the game strong, jumping out to an early nine-point lead with 16:19 remaining in the half. Oberlin would respond, led by the three-point shooting of Beard, to tie up the game at 13 with 13:34 left until the break. The game would go back and forth until the Yeomen got hot and went on a five minute 16-0 run to go up 37-23. Beard’s three-pointer to put Oberlin up 37-23 with 3:44 left in the half broke the school record for treys in a season with 58. Oberlin would hang onto the lead and go into the half leading 41 to 28. Oberlin benefited from consistent shooting in the half as they shot 50% from the field and behind the arc.
The second half began with Earlham coming back as they went on a 15-2 run to get within four with 9:50 remaining in the game. Oberlin responded with six straight points to extend their lead to ten. The game would stay close as the Quakers got within three points with less than five minutes left in the game. However, the Yeomen were able to hold onto their lead for the remainder of the contest.
The Yeomen were led by Loll’s 20 points and 10 rebounds. In his final game at Oberlin, Spencer netted 19 points and four assists. Beard finished the game with 18 points, with 5 of 6 shooting from behind the arc, to go along with four steals. His 60 treys this season set the Oberlin school record for the most three-pointers in a single season.
As a team Oberlin, shot 47.1% from the field, 41.7% from three-point range (10-24) and 87.5% from the charity stripe. The Yeomen got a strong contribution from their bench which scored 17 points.
Senior Markous Jewett had a game-high 29 points, including 3 of 5 shooting from behind the arc, to lead the Quakers, while junior Nick Welsh dropped in 23 points.
The game wraps up a successful season for the Yeomen, who doubled their win total from last year and picked up two additional NCAC victories. Spencer broke the 1,000 career points mark this season, finishing with 1,221 points. Loll led the team in points per game and was seventh in the NCAC averaging 15.8, while Spencer was eighth in the conference with a 15.5 average and Beard had 13.1. Spencer also led the team in assists, averaging 2.6 per game. Spencer and Loll were fifth and sixth in the NCAC in rebounding, averaging about seven boards a game. Beard led the NCAC in free-throw shooting percentage making 88.9% off his attempts from behind the line.
The Yeomen have high hopes for next year as they only lose one player to graduation. With most of the starters returning and first-years having gained a valuable season of experience, Oberlin will look to continue making strides.
Box Score | Photographs
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