GAMBIER, Ohio – Opening its North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) slate Saturday against rival Denison University, the Kenyon College men's basketball team battled into triple overtime only to see the visiting Big Red survive a last-second shot attempt from Phillip Crampton to secure an 84-83 victory.

Crampton released that final shot with just four seconds left. The Big Red packed in the paint defensively, allowing him to get a clean look from long range along the baseline.

About two minutes prior, Crampton connected on a field goal to give Kenyon an 83-81 advantage. Denison had two opportunities to tie the game, but was unable to convert either shot. Ben Stern missed an opportunity for Kenyon and then Denison's Johnny Vernasco was fouled in the double bonus.

Vernasco made the first free throw, but missed the second as the Big Red cut into the lead. The missed free throw was rebounded by Garrett Collier after a wild scramble for the loose ball. Collier was fouled in the chaos. With 17 seconds left, he made both free throws to set up the final sequence with his team ahead.

In the double-overtime period, a three-point shot from Maxwell Siwik gave the Big Red a 75-74 lead with 2:17 left to go. Stern then responded with a three-point shot of his own. Collier tied it up at 77-77 with a layup at the 1:09 mark and neither team scored the rest of the way. Stern had an opportunity to end it, but his twisting layup attempt did not fall.

Much like the rest of overtime, the first overtime period stayed tight throughout. No team, at any point of the three extra periods, had more than a three-point advantage. Kenyon held a three-point lead with 20 seconds left, but Denison forced double-overtime on a well-guarded triple from Siwik off the left wing.

The end of the regulation was dramatic in its own right. Kenyon trailed by five with 2:20 to go after Siwik's three made it 56-51. Matt Shifrin then caught fire, connecting on three consecutive three-point field goals for the Lords. The last one tied the game at 60-60. Denison had two chances to win the game, but Claude Chandonnet and Siwik missed their three-point attempts.

Kenyon, late in the first half, led by as many as 13 points. Denison controlled the early portion and worked to earn a 16-11 advantage with 12:46 to go in the first half. Kenyon's defense then went to work, holding the Big Red to just five points over the game's next 10:44. At the other end, the Lords tossed in 18 points, resulting in a 34-21 Kenyon lead. Denison trimmed the deficit to seven by the end of the first half, before erasing it completely early in the second half.

Kenyon had two players finish with double-doubles. Alex Laub scored 13 points and collected 12 rebounds, while Carter Powell finished with 11 each in 50 minutes of work. Shifrin knocked down seven three-pointers, a total that ranks fifth all-time in program history, and led all scorers with 23 points. Stern scored 20 points for the second game in a row and Crampton ended with 10 off the bench.

Collier paced Denison (5-1, 2-0 NCAC) with 22 points and eight rebounds. Siwik scored 16 and Vernasco posted 11 points and ten boards.

Kenyon (3-2, 0-1 NCAC) will continue NCAC play next week with a road game against Allegheny College on Wednesday and a home matchup against Wabash College on Saturday.