Currently standing at 2-5 on the season, the Oberlin men’s basketball team is looking to get the gears rolling after a conference loss to the College of Wooster on Wednesday. Despite having only two victories under their belt, the Yeomen remain confident that this season will turn out a step ahead of last year’s campaign.

In their first conference game of the season on Saturday, Dec. 2, Head Coach Isaiah Cavaco and his team went up against Wabash College at Philips Gymnasium. The Oberlin team took charge of the game from the very first minute of play, establishing a healthy advantage in the first half and eventually going into half time with a ten-point lead.

In the second half, Wabash gave the Yeomen a run for their money, scoring a series of unanswered points and eventually tying the game 50-50 with 29 seconds left in the game. Oberlin gave one final charge led by senior co-captain Quentin Spencer who sank a jumper with four seconds left on the clock, securing the victory for Oberlin.

The game’s winning shot brought Spencer’s point total to 17 on the night with two assists and ten rebounds. Junior guard Jordan Beard and sophomore center Mike Loll also put up strong performances, scoring 16 and 13 points respectively, in addition to Beard’s two assists and Loll’s eight rebounds.

On Wednesday evening, Oberlin lost a disappointing home game against the College of Wooster. There were a decent amount of Oberlin fans attending the game, with the Yeomen taking the lead 30-18 early in the first half. However, the top-ranked Wooster team had other ideas. Led by James Cooper, Wooster went on a rampaging 21-0 run, turning the Yeomen’s lead into a nine-point deficit. The half ended at 49-34 after the 31-4 run from Wooster.

The second half began dramatically, with Oberlin cutting the lead down to single digits at 51-43. Led by Spencer, who scored his 1000th point for Oberlin College off a jump shot, the Yeomen launched a comeback to the delight of the home fans. However, a series of questionable calls from the referees resulted in a 13-3 Wooster run which would eventually seal the game.

Oberlin fans ardently expressed their discontent with the performance of the referees, but their booing attempts to get into the referees’ heads were unsuccessful. In the end, Oberlin walked off the court having lost the game 76-95. The loss was a blow to the Yeomen, who emerged from the locker room looking downtrodden.

When asked about the referees’ contribution to the game, Cavaco suggested, “The referees frustrated me a couple of times, but they are not responsible for our loss.”

The Yeomen’s record dropped to 1-1 in conference play and 2-5 for the whole season. The team will host Hiram College in Philips Gymnasium on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 3 p.m. in another conference competition and will travel to Wilmington, Ohio where they face Wilmington College on Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m.