The Bishops had taken a 78-72 lead on a free throw by sophomore post Dustin Rudegeair with :17 remaining in the overtime period. Earlham got a 3-pointer by Tristian Gregory with :10 left, bringing the Quakers within 78-75.
Earlham's Terrel Brown then stole an inbounds pass and hit a shot with :03 on the clock, apparently tying the game. Two of the referees signaled 3-pointer, but one official indicated that the basket was a 2-pointer, and after a conference, Brown's score was ruled a 2-pointer and the game ended.
Ohio Wesleyan had trailed, 32-25, at halftime and was on the short end of a 34-27 count when Earlham went on a 12-2 run. Neil Collins had a 3-pointer and a basket and Tyler Stewart had a pair of hoops, including a lay-in that made it 46-29 in Earlham's favor with 15:37 left in regulation time.
The Bishops chipped away, getting 3-pointers by junior guard Matt Shirer and freshman guard Tim Patten and a bucket by sophomore post Jesse Jean to slice the deficit to 9 points.
Earlham hiked the lead back to 14 points on a 3-pointer by Gregory and a lay-in by Brown, but again, Ohio Wesleyan charged back, collecting a fast break lay-in by senior wing Andy Warnock and a 3-pointer and a basket by Rudegair to come within 53-46 with 8:17 to play.
The Quakers' LaRon Henry converted a 4-point play with 4:09 remaining, giving Earlham a 62-52 lead, but the Bishops came back once more.
Free throws by junior post Ben Chojnacki and Warnock, followed by a Chojnacki basket, cut the margin to 6 points. Earlham countered with a pair of free throws by Collins that made it 64-56 with 1:21 left.
King followed with a 3-pointer, and after a Quaker turnover, Chojnacki sank a lay-in to bring the Bishops within 64-61 with 1:00 to play.
After another Earlham turnover, junior wing Ted Uritus missed a 3-pointer but Warnock came up with the offensive rebound and was fouled. Warnock hit the second of the 2 free throws as Ohio Wesleyan closed to within 64-62 with :36 on the clock.
The Bishops then fouled Gregory with :28 to play, and he hit the first free throw but missed the second, setting the stage for King's game-tying 3-pointer.
Earlham had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation time, but Gregory misfired on a 3-pointer and Markous Jewett's jumper at the buzzer was awry.
The Quakers took the lead with a 14-2 first-half turn that turned a 21-16 Bishop advantage into a 30-23 Earlham edge. Jewett fueled that run, collecting a 3-pointer, a 2-pointer and an assist.
Rudegeair led the Bishops with 21 points and 9 rebounds. King finished with 12 points, Shirer scored 11 and Warnock added 10 points. Uritus led the Bishops with 9 assists.
Chojnacki scored 9 points for Ohio Wesleyan, raising his career total to 1008. He is the 23rd Ohio Wesleyan men's basketball player to surpass the 1000-point career scoring mark.
Henry led Earlham with 21 points. Brandon Miller compiled 12 points and 15 rebounds, Gregory finished with 11 points and Jewett added 10 points and 10 boards.