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January 19 -- Oberlin College scored a season-high 84 points, but it wasn't enough as they fell to the Wabash Little Giants 99-84 in a North Coast Athletic Conference game on Saturday afternoon at Philips Gym.
Oberlin (3-12, 2-4 NCAC) had four players score in double-figures with junior Mike Loll leading the way with 18 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. First-year Ryan Magiera added 14 - with 10 coming in the first half as he finished the afternoon 6-of-10 from the floor. Junior Omari Hall added 12 of his own, while first-year Pat Bernhard contributed 10.
"I was proud of the way we competed against a very experienced team," head coach Isaiah Cavaco said. "We got solid production off of our bench and had a very balanced attack today. We just need to continue to mature as a team and learn from each game."
Early turnovers by the Yeomen and a quick start by Wabash Sophomore Wes Smith led to a 30-14 lead for the Little Giants midway through the first period. Smith paced the Little Giants with twelve points in the first half- connecting on 5-of-7 attempts in the frame. After the slow start offensively, the Yeomen responded with a 10-2 run that featured 3-pointers from senior Matt Godwin and Bernhard to cut the Wabash advantage to 32-24 at the 5:56 mark. The Yeomen continued their strong play to close out the half - hitting seven of their final eight shots of the stanza to trail only 48-43 at the break.
Wabash (10-5, 4-2 NCAC) quickly opened up a 12-point edge to start the second half en route to scoring 51 points over the final 20 minutes to secure the win. Oberlin had a difficult time handling 6-foot-6 senior Andrew Zimmer as he dropped in a game-high 31 points on a very efficient 13-of-17 effort from the field. Zimmer also added a game-high 11 rebounds as the Little Giants used their size advantage to win the rebounding battle 36-25.
Both teams had strong shooting performances on the afternoon as Oberlin cashed in a season-best 55.6 percent (25-of-25) of its attempts, while the Little Giants countered at a 55.4 percent clip (41-of-74). Oberlin's bench bunch dropped in 32 points in the game, but Wabash benefitted from 39 points in the paint.
Oberlin will be back in action on January 23 as they visit Gambier, Ohio to take on conference foe Kenyon. Tip-off is slated for 7:30. | 
