Granville, Ohio -  The Denison men's basketball team earned an 81–68 victory over Oberlin on Tuesday night inside Livingston Gymnasium, improving to 12–6 overall and 7–2 in NCAC play.

First half: Both teams traded baskets early before a brief scoring drought stalled the action for nearly two minutes. Oberlin evened the score at 6–6 with 15:26 remaining, but Denison quickly seized control with a 9–0 run, forcing an Oberlin timeout at the 12:31 mark to make it 15–6. The Big Red stayed hot as Kellon Smith knocked down a three to push the lead to 12 with 10:43 to play. Although Oberlin attempted to chip away, Denison continued to pile on points, highlighted by an Ellish Appiah dunk that extended the advantage to 31–14. Liam Taylor kept the momentum rolling with a three at 3:12, making it 39–18, before Nick Heath capped the half with a deep three to send Denison into the break ahead 46–22.

Second half: Denison opened the second half scoring exclusively from the free-throw line until the 11:46 mark, maintaining a 59–37 lead. Owen Giannoulias followed with a layup to keep the Big Red in control at 63–42. Moments later, Taylor drilled a three-pointer to extend the advantage to 66–42, prompting an Oberlin timeout with nine minutes remaining. Oberlin answered with three consecutive three-pointers, cutting the Big Red's lead to 72–55 with 6:55 left to play. Oberlin continued to chip away at the deficit, but the Big Red answered every run to keep the Yeomen at bay. Kellon Smith knocked down a key three-pointer to maintain a 79–62 advantage with 2:28 remaining, as Denison held on down the stretch to secure an 81–68 victory.

Key performers: 

• Nick Heath paced the Big Red with 18 points, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. 

• Liam Taylor added 14 points to go along with four rebounds, four steals, and an assist

• Kellon Smith chipped in 12 points and five rebounds. 

• Luke Salkowski filled the stat sheet with nine rebounds, eight points, and four assists.

History

• Denison and Oberlin have met 158 times since 1905, with the Big Red holding a 105–53 advantage in the all-time series.

• The matchup has produced several historic performances over the years.

• 1997: Jason Barger recorded nine steals, the most in a single game in Denison men's basketball history.

• Three of the top 10 highest single-game scoring performances in Denison men's basketball history have come against Oberlin.

• Since 2023, Denison has won the last three meetings, outscoring Oberlin by an average margin of 24 points.