GAMBIER, Ohio – No. 10-ranked Denison University came in to Tomsich Arena on Saturday afternoon and left with a victory, defeating the Kenyon men's basketball team 82-67. The Lords trailed by just one at halftime, but a 46-point effort by the Big Red in the second half proved to be the decisive blow.
 
The Big Red statistically dominated the first half of play despite entering the locker room with just that one-point lead. Denison connected on eight triples (8-for-13) and shot 50 percent (14-for-28) from the field. They also out-rebounded Kenyon 23-15.
 
The momentum swung toward Kenyon after Denison claimed their largest first-half lead by a count of 31-21. The Lords closed the half on a 14-5 run in the last 7:03 as Bennett Grigull tallied six points during that stretch and pulled the home team to within one, 36-35, at the end of the half. Kenyon was also aided in the opening stanza by Denison's ten turnovers.
 
Despite the push at the end of the first half, Denison never gave up control the rest of the way. The Big Red's lead was no more than six for the majority of the second half, but then the Big Red found another gear and pulled away from Kenyon.
 
At the 12:22 mark, it stood 52-48 in favor of Denison. Over the next 7:22, Denison turned that advantage into a 71-55 lead with a 19-7 scoring run. That run provided the cushion that Denison needed to move on to victory.
 
The dynamic duo for Denison was the combination of David Meurer and Jett Speelman. The pair combined for 50 points on 19-for-31 shooting, including 8-for-11 from three-point range. Meurer scored 15 of Denison's final 30 points.
 
The Lords had four scorers finish in double figures. Starters Ethan Shapiro and Grigull each had 12 points, while Ben Stern and Alexander Powell tossed in 11 and 10, respectively, off the bench.
 
The Lords will take to the road the next week when they travel to Allegheny University and Wabash College as they battle for a postseason berth in the NCAC Tournament.