Going into the last couple of games of the semester, the Oberlin men’s basketball team looked to head into winter break on top of victories against Hiram College and Wilmington College.

After having their winning streak spoiled by their defeat by the College of Wooster on home soil, the Oberlin team rebuilt its confidence by claiming a home victory against Hiram in the North Coast Athletic Conference on Saturday Dec. 9.

The starting whistle at the Hiram game went off amidst loud cheers from Oberlin fans. Possibly due to the recent success of the team, the game was well-attended by students and other team supporters.

Despite the strong backing from the crowd, the Yeomen started the game on the back foot. Shooting a disappointing 26.7 percent from the field in the first period, the Yeomen went into the locker room with a 15-point deficit (Hiram was up 39-24). The Oberlin team had missed a handful of shots and had allowed a 13-0 Hiram run, which was led by senior Brandon Pool and first-year Mike Staley, whose combined point total was 35 on the night.

Whether it was the half time prep talk, the support from the crowd or just the team’s determination, a different Oberlin team braced the court for the second period. The Yeomen hacked continuously at the Hiram lead and eventually tied the game with less than four minutes left to play off a three point shot scored by sophomore forward Omari Hall.

Hiram, however, would not go down so easily. After restoring their lead at 68-67 with 1:47 remaining, Hiram went on a 6-0 run that would eventually be enough to claim the victory. Oberlin made a couple more shots but those were too little too late. A disappointed armada of fans headed out of Philips gymnasium behind a 74-71 defeat.

Senior Quinton Spencer, who scored 19 points and claimed 13 boards, led the Yeomen. Junior Jordan Beard followed with his 15 points and two assists. Also putting up impressive performances were Hall and sophomore Mike Loll, who scored 12 points each.

Wednesday evening, Oberlin traveled to Wilmington, Ohio to face Wilmington College in a non-conference tie. Standing at 4-2 for the season as opposed to Oberlin’s 2-6, the Wilmington team looked more likely to walk away from the game with a victory.    

Once again the Oberlin team had a disappointing first half, which ended in a 42-27 Wilmington lead. The Wilmington team obviously had heard about Spencer’s ability and had managed to limit him to two points in the first period.

In a manner similar to that of the Hiram game, the Yeomen headed into the second period enthusiastically. Spencer went on to score 20 points in the second period moving his point total to 22 alongside his 12 rebounds. Oberlin outscored Wilmington College 38-34 but this was not enough to overcome the large deficit incurred during the first period.

Oberlin College lost the game 76-65 despite strong performances by Loll and Beard who scored 14 and 13 points respectively. Wilmington was led by 6”5’ junior Fred Harrison who totaled 15 points.

With that loss, Oberlin College drops to 2-7 for the season and 1-2 in conference play. In its next game, Oberlin will travel to Adrian, Michigan to face Adrian College in another non-conference tie two days before the New Year. Then they host Carnegie Mellon University on Jan. 2, 2007.