BEXLEY, Ohio – The Kenyon College women's basketball team scored ten points in the final two minutes of overtime to defeat the Franklin College Grizzlies, 70-65, during Friday's opening round of the Marriott Columbus Airport Holiday Tournament at Capital University.

Franklin freshman Bayleigh Walker converted a free throw with 2:34 left in the extra session to give the Grizzlies a 62-60 advantage. At the two-minute mark, Kenyon junior Sharon Hull assisted on a jumper by sophomore Paige Matijasich that knotted the game up. Walker then missed a jumper at the other end and Hull made the miss hurt even more after she buried a three-pointer that pushed the Ladies in front, 65-62.

Franklin continued to misfire and was forced to foul. Over the game's final 32 seconds, the Kenyon women went to the line six times and made five free throws to secure the victory. Senior Jessica Gerber made all four of her attempts, while Matijasich hit one of her two attempts.

Walker, who ended up with a game-high 22 points, scored all six of the Grizzlies' overtime points. Matijasich had three of Kenyon's 11 overtime points and wound up tossing in a team-high 19 for the game.

Kenyon (10-2) raced out to a great start, shooting 64.3 percent in the first quarter and posting a 22-14 lead. That pace slowed a bit in the second quarter, but the Ladies built a plus-10 margin on the boards and went into the half with a healthy 35-20 advantage. During those first 20 minutes, Matijasich was 6-of-9 and scored 14 points. Both she and Gerber, who finished the game with 17 points, were 2-of-3 from long range.

In the second half, Franklin (2-5) turned up the heat in the defensive end and gave the ball to Walker on the attack. The Grizzlies clawed their way back into the game by forcing Kenyon into 11-second-half turnovers. Meanwhile, Walker went 6-of-8, scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds over those last 20 minutes of regulation.

The Grizzlies narrowed the gap to four points in the third quarter. The, in the fourth quarter, a three-pointer from Kelsey Smith pulled Franklin within two. Kenyon turned the ball over on its next possession and then fouled Smith, who snapped in two free throws to tie things up. In the game's final ten seconds, both teams missed potential game-winning shots.

In addition to Matijasich's 19 points and Gerber's 17, Kenyon got 10 points and nine rebounds from senior Griffin Tullis. Ifeoma Archimalo, another Kenyon senior, also had nine rebounds and Lane Davis, a junior, had eight, as Kenyon held a 40-30 advantage on the glass.

Walker's 22 points were followed by 12 from Smith. That pairing also combined for 13 rebounds, six steals and four assists for the Grizzlies.

Kenyon returns to the same court Saturday to finish off the two-day Marriott Columbus Airport Holiday Tournament with a 5 p.m. game against the host Capital Crusaders.