Ohio Wesleyan 64, Oberlin 61

Feb. 18, 2009

Senior wing Kyle Holliday (Van Wert) scored 7 consecutive points during a 9-1 run that put Ohio Wesleyan ahead to stay, and freshman post Pat Pellerite (Olmsted Falls) finished off a double-double with a pair of key free throws as the Bishops edged Oberlin in a North Coast Athletic Conference contest on Wednesday in Oberlin.

Oberlin had taken a 58-53 lead on a pair of Josh Merritt free throws with 3:52 left in regulation time.

Sophomore wing Dillon McBride (Medina) started the Bishop comeback with a pair of free throws, then Holliday converted a 3-point play to bring Ohio Wesleyan within 59-58 with 2:21 left.

After an Oberlin turnover, Holliday hit a lay-in for a 60-59 Bishop lead with 1:06 to play, and after a Yeomen miss, it was Holliday with another lay-in to give the Bishops a 62-59 cushion with :19 remaining. Holliday was fouled on the play and missed the free throw, however, keeping it a one-possession game for Oberlin.

On Oberlin's next possession, Merritt broke loose for a lay-in but missed and Pellerite cleared the rebound.

Forced to foul, the Yeomen sent junior guard Rob Gardiner (Dublin/Coffman) to the line with :08 to play, and the strategy paid off when Gardiner missed the front end of the one-and-one. The Bishops fouled Jordan Beard with :04 to play, and Beard hit both free throws to bring the Yeomen within 62-61.

Again forced to foul, the Yeomen fouled Holliday on the inbounds play. Holliday missed the front end of the one-and-one, but Pellerite was there to grab the rebound, and after he was fouled, Pellerite sank both free throws to give Ohio Wesleyan a 64-61 lead with :02 left, and Jordan Beard's 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark, giving the Bishops the win.

The Bishops used a 7-0 run to take the lead during the first half, with McBride hitting a 3-pointer, Pellerite sinking a pair of free throws, and Holliday driving for a lay-in that gave Ohio Wesleyan an 11-6 lead with 13:50 left in the period.

Ohio Wesleyan led by as many as 10 points after a 3-pointer and a lay-in by Holliday, but Oberlin came back with an 11-3 spurt that included a 3-pointer and a lay-in from Joe Dilworth and a pair of buckets from Dahsan Gary.

The Bishops withstood that rally and held a 35-29 lead at halftime, then inched out to a 50-42 advantage on Holliday's 3-pointer at the midway point of the second half.

Oberlin stormed back to score the next 12 points, with Beard, Merritt and Ryan Magiera hitting 3-pointers along the way, giving the Yeomen a 54-50 lead with 6:03 to go.

Pellerite's 3-point play ended that Oberlin run, but the Yeomen got a jumper from James Tompsett and Merritt's pair of free throws to take the 58-53 lead that set up the closing minutes of action.

Holliday led the Bishops with 21 points, while Pellerite finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds. McBride added 11 points. Junior post Brent Pleiman (Russia) and senior wing Mitch Noggle (Dublin/Coffman) shared the Ohio Wesleyan lead with 2 assists apiece.

Beard finished with 19 points for Oberlin, with Merritt adding 13 points and Dilworth scoring 10 points.

Box Score