Oberlin B-Ball Endures a Difficult Stretch

The Oberlin College men's and women's basketball teams have had a rough stretch since the end of the Fall '99 semester, earning 0-13 and 6-8 records, respectively. In that stretch, the men have gone 0-5 at home and 0-8 on the road, while the women have amassed a 6-4 home record and an 0-4 mark on the road.

The men returned to campus on Dec. 26 to prepare for the "O" Club Classic tournament in Westerville, Ohio, held Dec. 27-28. Their first game was against Manchester College from North Manchester, IN. After going down six midway through the first half, the Yeomen outscored Manchester 19-10 to go into the locker room up by 3, 40-37. Manchester came out strong in the second half, though, and went up by 10 with thirteen minutes left. Oberlin remained within striking distance until the eight minute mark, when Manchester went on a 15-5 run to go up by 20 with four minutes left. The Yeomen eventually lost by 24, 93-69, led by Maurice Elrod with 25 points. Brian Buchanan added eleven rebounds.

The consolation game pitted Oberlin against Hobart College, who lost to Otterbein in the first round. Leading 29-20 with 6:08 left, Hobart went on a 21-4 run to go into the half up 50-24. The Yeoman could not make a dent in the Hobart lead in the second half, getting outscored 39-33. Oberlin was again lead by Elrod, who scored 28 points on 11-14 shooting, including 4-6 from three-point range.

After losing at Kenyon by seven on Jan. 8, the Yeomen returned to Philips Gymnasium to take on Allegheny on the twelfth. Lead by Buchanan's nine first half points and four rebounds, Oberlin went into halftime down by four, 42-38. Through the first six minutes of the second half, Oberlin outscored Allegheny 20-7 to take a nine point lead. After a timeout, the Gators responded with an 11-2 run to tie the game at 60. The teams traded baskets until the three minute mark, when Allegheny scored six unanswered points to go up 80-74. Oberlin closed the gap to two on a lay-up by Zachary Pretzer, but they could get no closer, losing 83-79. Freshman Djordje Eremic scored 22 points for Oberlin, with Elrod chipping in with 16.

After a disappointing home loss to the Earlham Quakers on Jan. 15, the team traveled to Granville, Ohio to take on the Big Red of Denison, and then to Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN. Neither game was close, with the Yeomen losing 98-61 and 110-52. Buchanan lead Oberlin with 23 against Earlham, while Elrod topped all Oberlin scorers with 18 in the loss to Wabash. Ric Pierce added nine boards.

Oberlin's luck did not change at home, where they faced the Hiram Terriers Jan. 26. The Yeomen were again able to stay competitive in the first half, led by Buchanan's 11 points and seven rebounds. Coming into the second half down by ten, the Yeomen saw the Terriers go on a 13-4 run to go up by 19. Oberlin got no closer than 16 the rest of the way, falling 79-52. Buchanan put in 16 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort, followed by Elrod's 13 and Eremic's 12. On Jan. 29, Wittenberg (15-3, 9-1 NCAC) came to Philips. The conference leaders jumped out to an 18-6 lead and did not let up, going into the half up by 18. Oberlin's luck did not change in the second half, as Wittenberg held the Yeomen to nine points in the final 11 minutes. Elrod again topped the Yeomen with 13 points and six boards, though Oberlin finished with only 45 points to Wittenberg's 77.

After falling to the Gators on Feb. 2, the Yeomen traveled to Delaware, OH to take on the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops, who fell to Oberlin earlier in the season. The Bishops were to gain revenge, beating Oberlin 65-50. Leading 34-30 at the half, OWU extended their lead to eight with eight minutes to go. At that point, they went on a 10-3 run to extend their lead to 15. The Yeomen could get no closer, as the teams traded buckets the rest of the way. Elrod lead all scorers with 24. Three other Yeomen contributed seven points each.

On Feb. 7, Oberlin hosted Washington and Jefferson, who came in with an 8-10 record. The familiar pattern repeated itself, as Oberlin stayed close the entire second half, lead by Eremic's eight points and Pierce's five rebounds. Washington and Jefferson's lead fluctuated between four and seven for the first ten minutes of the second half. They extended it to 13 with five minutes left. Oberlin outscored W&J 9-4 in the last five minutes, but it was not enough, as the Yeomen lost 74-66. Elrod scored 13 for Oberlin, followed by 11 each for Zeljko Petrovic and Eremic. Oberlin next traveled to Hiram for a rematch with the Terriers. Though the Yeomen played their "best first half all year," in the words of freshman guard Zach Pretzer, they ran out of gas in the second half, falling 73-58.

The team lost frershman guard Justin Perkins midway through January, which diminished Oberlin's already-thin ranks. "As the second half wears on and other teams sub," says coach James "Satch" Sullinger, "our tanks are running empty. We just need more numbers." Hopes are high for next year, though, as the coaching staff has put a great deal of energy into recruiting. "Next year's class is key," says Sullinger. "They may make or break the future of Oberlin basketball." The men host Wabash this Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Yeowomen's action resumed on Dec. 29 against Defiance College at Philips. Defiance jumped out to a 28-26 halftime lead, though they shot only 33 per cent from the field. The game remained close throughout the second half, with both teams going up by five at various points. Defiance went up 58-57 with 39 seconds left on a lay-up. With 12 seconds remaining, freshman Malisha Richardson hit a short jumper to give Oberlin the victory. Sophomore Nzinga Broussard led Oberlin with 17 points.

After a big win over Wooster on Jan. 4, Ohio Wesleyan (9-1) came to Philips to take on the Yeowomen. Sophomore Raegan Johnson lead Oberlin scorers with 8 first half points, but OWU went into the half up by 12. The Bishops began the half with a 16-6 run to take a 22 point lead.Thereafter, the closest Oberlin got was 13, losing 77-54. Johnson lead the Yeowomen with 15 points. Rachael Barbee contributed eight points and ten boards.

After suffering a tough home loss to Denison, the Yeowomen traveled to Allegheny. The teams traded baskets most of the first half, with the Gators going into the half up 22-18. The game remained tight in the second half, with Allegheny leading by three with thirty seconds left. Oberlin missed their opportunity to tie with 21 seconds left, and the Gators went on to win 52-47.

After losing 68-60 to Earlham, the women traveled to Gambier to play Kenyon. Johnson led Oberlin with eight first half points, followed by six for Broussard and five for Rachelle Tarbell. The first half ended in a 19-19 tie. The teams traded baskets for the majority of the second half, until the Yeowomen opened a five point lead with one minute remaining. Oberlin was ahead by three with 12 seconds left when Kenyon called a time-out to set up a final shot. Their three-point attempt was off-target, and the Yeowomen escaped with a narrw victory.

After losing to John Carroll in University Heights by 10 and beating Hiram by seven at Hiram, Oberlin hosted Wittenberg (11-7, 7-3 NCAC). Leading 32-25 with three minutes remaining, Oberlin went on an 11-0 run to go into the locker room up 18. Broussard and Johnson both had thirteen points. The Yeowomen did not let up in the second half, forcing Wittenberg into ten turnovers. The Tigers finished witth 24 turnovers. Oberlin won 75-56, lead by Broussard and Johnson, who scored 22 and 18, respectively.

After losing by 25 at Denison and nine at Wooster, the women hosted Kenyon, who came into the game with a 15-6 record, 9-4 NCAC. Kenyon jumped out to a 20-6 lead, but Oberlin closed the lead to six with 3:17 remaining. Kenyon finished the half with a 6-2 run to go into the locker room up nine. Kenyon maintained a ten point lead for the first ten minutes of the second half, expanding it to 13 with five minutes left. Oberlin lost 64-49, lead once again by Broussard, who scored 16. The Yeowomen shot 29 per cent from the field.

The women beat Hiram 46-42 this past Wednesday, but the dismissal of Raegan Johnson seems to overshadow the victory. "We had our ups and downs over January," said senior guard Chamia Peterson, and the team's place in the upcoming NCAC conference tournament is in doubt. The women play at Ohio Wesleyan Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m.

We Got Next: Sophomore Nzinga Broussard goes for a lay-up against NCAC rival Denison. Despite their fine efforts, the Yeowomen dropped the game 76-48. (photo by Brian Hodgkin)