WOOSTER, Ohio – The first of Friday night's North Coast Athletic Conference semifinal games, hosted by The College of Wooster, featured back-and-forth action that nearly landed the tournament's first upset. The third-seeded Lords stormed out of the locker room at Timken Arena to erase a 14-point halftime deficit against the second-seeded Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan University. Kenyon stayed toe-to-toe with the Bishops until they broke away with a late run, leading to a 77-64 final score. The Lords conclude the 2012-13 campaign with a 16-11 overall record.

The Lords' chances to pull off the upset at halftime looked bleak trailing 38-24, but Kenyon broke out on a 19-3 run and took the lead for the first time in the game. Four different Kenyon scorers helped create the comeback. Led by Jonathan Amador's eight points during the run, five by way of the free throw line, the Lords controlled the opening 8:30 of the second half. They gained their first lead when Ikenna Nwadibia juked a Bishop defender at the top of the lane and drove to the bucket to deliver a floater and a 43-42 lead with 13:34 to go.

Both teams went back and forth throughout the second half as the Bishops (21-5), ranked No. 24 by D3hoops.com, answered with an 11-4 run to create an eight-point lead. The Lords closed that gap when Amador converted a four-point play by nailing a fade-away three-point attempt, as well as the ensuing free throw after he was fouled. That put the Lords only two points away from tying Ohio Wesleyan, 59-57, with 5:13 to go.

The Bishops retaliated with a second lengthy run, this time assuring them advancement to the NCAC Tournament final by scoring 16 of the next 21 points and taking a 75-61 advantage. Reuel Rogers helped seal the victory for Ohio Wesleyan by scoring nine of his 13 points over the final 5:32.

Amador led all Kenyon scorers with 15 points and hit a team-high three treys on the evening. Joining Amador in double digits were Nwadibia (14) and Julian Pavlin (13). Nwadibia recorded his 12th double-double of the season, accompanying his 14 points with a team-high 10 rebounds.

Freshman center Brien Comey had a day down low on the defensive side, as he lead both sides with a season-high five blocks in just 10 minutes of playing time.

The Lords' struggled shooting, hitting just 31.8 percent of their field goals and going 4-for-19 from three-point range. Conversely, OWU went 50 percent from the field. Leading the way for the Bishops offensively were Andy Winters and Dre White, who had 16 points each. They were two of four OWU players that ended with 10 or more points.

The Lords finish the 2012-13 campaign with a 16-11 overall record, tying the mark for most wins in a year since 2008-09. The Lords' advancement in the NCAC Tournament was also its farthest since that same season.

The NCAC Tournament will conclude Saturday, February 23, when Ohio Wesleyan plays the winner of top-seed College of Wooster and No. 4 seed Wittenberg.