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Oberlin, OH -- The game was knotted up at 71 apiece as Neil Randolph '15 stepped to the free throw line for two foul shots and only 3.6 seconds left on the clock. Randolph, who had already tallied a game-high 27 points to this point, calmly hit the two freebies to give the Elmira College men's basketball team a 73-71 victory over Oberlin College. The win is EC's third in a row and moves EC to .500 on the season, the latest the Soaring Eagles have been at least .500 since the 2002-03 season.

The first 20 minutes of play was a back-and-forth affair as the lead exchanged hands 15 times and was tied another five. Oberlin led 14-10 early on, their largest lead of the first half, but a quick 5-0 run put EC in front by one. The two teams traded baskets for most of the final 11-plus minutes, but the Purple and Gold were able to apply some defensive pressure towards the end of the half to force the Yeomen into a couple turnovers. The turnovers led to two easy buckets by Derrick Vogel '14 as the Soaring Eagles took a 39-35 lead into the locker room.

EC came out of the locker room in the second half and extended their lead to six, but that would be the largest lead of the night for either team as the Yeomen kept the game within reach. The Soaring Eagles would maintain the lead for the first 11 minutes of the half, but Oberlin fought back to go ahead with 8:38 to play.

EC trailed by one with under three minutes on the clock, but that all changed with one play as Vogel converted an and-one opportunity to give the Soaring Eagles a two-point lead. Oberlin retook the lead on a three-pointer from Geoff Simpson, but a free throw from Vogel made the score 71-71 and set up Randolph's heroics. A turnover with 25 seconds left gave the Purple and Gold the ball back with a chance to win the game. Randolph drew a foul in the paint and the rest is history as EC went onto win by the 73-71 score.

Randolph continued his scoring tear, dropping 29 points, his third straight 20-plus point game, on 8-11 shooting and a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line. Vogel chipped in 16 points and led the team with four rebounds.

The Soaring Eagles will take a break for Thanksgiving before returning to action next Saturday, December 7th when the men host Clarkson University. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at Speidel Gymnasium.