Box Score
GAMBIER, Ohio (February 11, 2012) Visiting Wabash College powered through a slow start and closed the first half on a 20-5 run to pull away from the Kenyon College men's basketball team Saturday. The six-minute spurt helped the Little Giants open up a big halftime lead on their way to a 79-51 North Coast Athletic Conference win in Gambier.
Neither team shot the ball particularly well early on, which kept the score low and close for 14 minutes. Wabash (17-6, 9-5 NCAC) led for most of that time, but the Lords never trailed by more than six points. Kenyon looked like it might have an opportunity to make a move when the Little Giants committed a turnover with 6:13 to play in the period and a slim, 19-15 lead. The miscue prompted a timeout from the Wabash bench, though, and it proved to squelch any momentum the Lords hoped to gain. The Little Giants broke their huddle by scoring on four-straight possessions en route to a 39-20 halftime lead.
Kenyon (10-13, 4-10 NCAC) never really recovered from that run and Wabash maintained the upper hand throughout the second period by outscoring the Lords, 40-31.
The loss spoiled the senior day sendoff for Anthony Chun, who scored nine points for Kenyon in his final game in Tomsich Arena. He was second on the Lords' scoring ledger to sophomore Ikenna Nwadibia, who finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
The Little Giants used balance to unsettle Kenyon. Four Wabash players scored 13 points or more with Andy Walsh's game-high 20 points leading the way. The Little Giants also capitalized on the Lords' turnovers by producing 30 points off of 17 miscues.
Despite the loss, Kenyon didn't lose any ground in the NCAC standings. Denison University (11-12, 8-6 NCAC) topped Allegheny College (5-18, 3-11 NCAC), 68-65, Saturday to keep the Lords in possession of eighth place. In the final week of the regular season, Kenyon will travel to Denison Wednesday night and to Allegheny next Saturday looking to lock down the final spot in the upcoming conference tournament.
