MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – After a tightly contested first half, Mount Vernon Nazarene University (NAIA) pulled away in the second stanza and dealt the Kenyon College Lords (3-6) a 96-75 loss Wednesday night in a non-conference basketball game at Ariel Arena.
 
The Cougars' use of the three-point shot hurt the Lords the most as the home team went 17-of-27 (63%) from deep. It was the most allowed three-point shots by Kenyon this season.
 
Competition was close early on between the two local schools. Tyler Kimble buried a three-ball to bring the score to 12-11 MVNU, but the Cougars found a pair of makes from Josh Ashwill and Todd Entenmann to move MVNU up six, 17-11, with 13:05 left in the half.
 
Kenyon responded with a 9-0 run and captured a 20-17 lead after sophomore Alexander Powell drained a three-pointer with just under 10 minutes left.
 
The Lords found themselves up three again (22-19) after a Brien Comey jumper at the 7:30 mark. But as was the tune earlier in the half, Mount Vernon Nazarene fought back, this time with an 8-0 run and grabbed a 27-22 lead capped off by an and-one conversion from Brett Vipperman.
MVNU (9-6) held the lead for the rest of the half and extended its advantage to eight points (37-29) at the break as Entenmann hit a three-pointer with 10 seconds left.
 
Looking to bring the game back to within just a couple of possessions, the Lords opened the second half with a jumper by Tim Connolly and narrowed the score to 37-31. The senior from San Francisco struck again on the next possession with an and-one conversion in the paint to bring the count again to a six-point deficit (40-34).
 
Nearly four minutes into the second half, Connolly added another hoop and moved the score to 50-44.
 
Despite the Lords' efforts to get over the two-possession deficit, it was for naught following Connolly's jumper.
 
The Cougars responded with an 8-0 run with Ashwill scoring five of those points. The stretch pushed MVNU's lead to 58-44 with 14:44 left in the game.
 
Mount Vernon Nazarene maintained that double-digit lead for nearly all of the remainder of the contest. The only time Kenyon made it a single-digit deficit affair came from a basket by Ethan Shapiro at the 12:25 mark (63-54).
 
MVNU saw its lead expand all the way until the final whistle.
 
Things don't get any easier for the Lords who will next face Roanoke College (8-1) this Saturday in Salem, Va. The Maroons boast the nation's third-best scoring offense. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.