OBERLIN, Ohio - January 15, 2025 - Hiram played its best game of the season on Wednesday evening, grabbing a 12-point halftime lead and holding it to the finish line in a 60-56 victory over Oberlin inside Philips Gymnasium.

It was a game that saw the Terriers clicking on all cylinders in the first half before grinding it out in a hard-fought second half that included just 54 points between the two teams.

Senior Trent Jakacki was again the catalyst for the blue and red, scoring a team-high 13 points and adding two rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. Josh Martin (9), Collin Jones (9), Manuel Devora Violan (8) and Galdan Batzorig (8) each totaled at least 8 points in the low-scoring affair, while the starting frontcourt of Ivan Yang and Tristan Martin-Marshall combined for five blocks.

Perhaps the most telling stat was Oberlin's FG pct; the Yeomen were held to a 27% FG pct in the game (18-67) – including an 0-8 clip on the team's final eight shots of the game – and just 5 points off turnovers, a testament to the fundamental basketball that was played on both sides of the floor by the Terriers.

Hiram scored 14 points in the first 4:09 of game time, with six of the team's first nine shots from the field finding the bottom of the net. Jakacki had 7 points during that span and finished the first half with 9 of his 13 points for the game.

The Terriers had balance on both ends of the court, shooting near 50% from the field in the first half and forcing 26 missed shots from the opposition. Hiram led by as many as 15 points in the half before taking that 12-point advantage into the intermission.

The second half embodied the grit of a Wednesday night NCAC battle, with both teams putting on a defensive clinic. Hiram and Oberlin combined for just 16 FG in the second half, with the Yeomen fighting and taking a 5-point lead (46-41) with 11:32 remaining.

Hiram answered that deficit with an 8-0 run, which was capped off by a Brock Makrancy 3-pointer to regain a 48-46 lead. Neither team could make the margin larger than 5 points for the last 15:29 of the game, but the Terriers defense stood strong and held Oberlin scoreless over the final three minutes to secure their first conference win of the campaign.

The Terriers will next take on Denison for a road clash on Saturday at 3 p.m. inside Livingston Gymnasium in Granville, OH.