The Yeo-ballers executed their offensive motion and played tight defense but the hoop had other plans as shots rolled off the rim left and right. Tuesday night’s 65-45 loss to Denison University resulted in the elimination of Oberlin from the first round of the NCAC tournament and marked the end of a season filled with individual and team accolades.

Sophomore Jessie Oram kicked off the game with a jumper to give Oberlin the early lead, but with 12 minutes remaining in the first half Big Red took over the game and never looked back. Denison’s 12-0 run increased their advantage and they ended the first half 32-21.

Yeowomen fortunes did not improve in the second half as Denison consistently hit their shots and at times led by as much as 25. Despite Denison’s clear lead, Oberlin refused to go down without a fight and forced four Big Red turnovers in the last two minutes of the game.

Oberlin’s 25 percent shooting hurt their game as did their inability to sink a three in the second half. The Yeowomen matched Big Red in other areas, grabbing more steals and pulling down the same number of boards as Denison. “We played great team defense, held their top two players to below-average games, dominated the boards at both ends, and limited our turnovers to a season-low of 11,” said coach Christa Champion.

Oberlin’s lack of height was apparent as Big Red blocked ten shots while Oberlin’s sole block came from Jessie Oram. Oram also had a team high 16 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Cristina Briboneria threw in 12 points and Nicole Burford added nine.

The loss to Denison was the last time seniors Briboneria and Burford would don the maroon and gold of the Yeowomen. The seniors have both dedicated four years to the program, a feat that has not gone unnoticed by the record books or those who have played with them. “They stepped up a lot this year, especially when Cris had to learn how to be a point guard over the summer, which is hard to do at the collegiate level,” commented teammate Meg Reitz. “They are very inspiring to play with. I was willing to work ridiculously hard for those two. How hard they played made me want to win it for them.” Having sat out the majority of her freshman year, Burford graduates with 904 points and 604 boards. Briboneria totaled 1,232 points and 440 rebounds. She is the fourth women’s basketball player to surpass 1,000 points and also holds the record for the most three-pointers in a game.

The 2004-2005 season was the most successful Oberlin basketball campaign in the past three years. The Yeowomen were 10-16 overall and posted a 7-5 home record. “We anticipated having our best season even after all the roster changes,” explained Champion. “We had to shift positions after we lost our point guard and center. We became scorers in both those positions. I didn’t know we were going to be as strong in the point guard as we were. We were much weaker on defense because we didn’t have the depth we needed.” The Yeo-ballers finished the regular season in 7th place, above Hiram and Earlham, and compiled a 5-11 conference record.