Box Score
GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon College men's basketball team's shooting struggles continued to follow them into Wednesday night's conference matchup with nationally-ranked Fighting Scots of The College of Wooster. The Lords mustered a 35.1 percent shooting mark while the Fighting Scots were the model of consistency by hitting 46.9 percent in both halves of their 92-52 win over Kenyon.
Wooster (12-1, 6-0 NCAC) began the game by missing each of its first three shot attempts and five of its first six through the opening 2:34. Their slow start allowed the Lords to keep pace, resulting in an 11-11 score through eight minutes of play. The Scots, ranked No. 2 in the National Basketball Coaches Association rankings that were released earlier today, then began to return to form by outscoring the Lords 32-12 to finish the first half. In the final 5:47, Wooster went 8-for-11 from the field which included a pair of three pointers by Scott Purcell. The Scots took a 44-23 lead into the half, despite 12 first-half points by Kenyon senior Julian Pavlin.
Kenyon's shot marginally better in the second half, but still assembled just a 35.1 success rate from the field for the game. Brian Lebowitz and Ikenna Nwadibia hit back-to-back shots to open the second stanza, but Wooster continued to distance itself behind the hot hand of Doug Thorpe and strong bench play from Milt Davis. Thorpe led all scorers with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting while also dishing in four assists and a pair of steals. Davis 13 minutes and scored all of his 12 points in the second half.
The Lords were marred by 19 turnovers which led to 26 Wooster points. The Scots also won the battle of the boards, 40-37, and kept Kenyon's inside game at bay. The Lords, who rely heavily on their post play, were limited to just 20 points in the paint in comparison to Wooster's 30. Wooster took 29 trips to the free throw stripe, hitting 23 of their attempts.
Pavlin finished with 12 points, all scored in the first half, to lead the Lords in scoring. Nwadibia also scored in double figures with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting. He led the Lords on the boards with seven rebounds.
Sophomore center Brien Comey tied his season and career high with nine points in 19 minutes on the floor. Wednesday's point total set a new career high in points against a conference opponent after he scored eight last year against DePauw University and Wabash College.
The loss drops Kenyon to 6-6 overall and 3-2 in North Coast Athletic Conference play, this season. The Lords will be asked to defend Tomsich Arena once again in their next game this Saturday, Jan. 11, against DePauw (9-3, 4-1 NCAC). DePauw received votes in the latest NABC national poll, but remains outside of the top 25. Game time is set for 3 p.m., marking the backend of a Kenyon Basketball doubleheader against the Tigers. The Ladies will kick the day off at 1 p.m. Live statistics and live video will be provided for both games by the Kenyon Sports Connection.
