GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon College Lords basketball team closed the book on the 2016-17 regular season and now moves forward into the postseason, which starts Tuesday with a North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal game at Ohio Wesleyan University. Tip-off time is slated for 6 p.m.

The Lords enter tournament play as the No. 8 seed in the eight-team tournament and carry with them a 5-20 overall record and a 4-14 conference record. They'll be trying to snap a six-game losing streak by upsetting an Ohio Wesleyan team that's won 12 straight games. The Battling Bishops are the tournament's top seed with a 19-6 overall record and a 16-2 mark in NCAC action.

Kenyon dropped both games of the regular-season series with Ohio Wesleyan, losing on the road in December, 96-85, and then falling at home in early February, 92-71. That ran Ohio Wesleyan's win streak against Kenyon to 24 games, including tournament wins over the Lords in 2007, 2013 and 2014. The Battling Bishops have dominated the all-time series between the two teams, winning 83 times in 110 contests since the 1905-06 season.

The Lords are making their 30th appearance in the NCAC Tournament. Two out of the past three seasons, they suffered losses in the first round. The team's last tournament win came against Wabash College in the opening round of the 2013 tournament.

The regular season saw Kenyon score an average of 66.6 points per game while giving up an average of 75.2 points per game. The Lords are led by their junior class. They get 12.2 points per game from Bennett Grigull, 11.3 points per game from Phillip Crampton and 9.8 points per game from Alexander Powell. The Lords are a solid rebounding team with senior Ethan Shapiro posting a team-high average of 5.3 boards per game. He is one of four players who averages four or more rebounds per game.

Ohio Wesleyan is not a good rebounding team, but the Battling Bishops rank first in the conference with an average of 11.8 three-point field goals per game. They also top the NCAC chart with a +5.16 mark in turnover margin. They enter the tournament with a scoring average of 80.1 points per game, while holding opponents to an average of 73.3 points per game.

The Battling Bishops have won five NCAC tournament tiles, most recently in 2013. Last season, Ohio Wesleyan lost to Denison University in the tournament's semifinal round before getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where it won two games before bowing out.

Junior point guard Nate Axelrod, the reigning NCAC Player of the Year, leads the way for OWU. He averages 17.6 points and a conference-best 4.6 assists per game. Ben Simpson adds 16.9 points and 9.0 rebounds, while Seth Clark throws in an additional 14.6 points per game.

The winner of this quarterfinal contest will move on to Friday's semifinal game to face the winner of the game between Wittenberg University and Hiram College. Once all quarterfinals are competed, Friday's semifinal games, as well as Saturday's championship game, will be held on the campus of the highest remaining seed.

As mandated by the conference office, ticket prices for all quarterfinal games will be $7 for adults, $5 for fans with an NCAC Guest Pass and $5 for children and students without an NCAC institution ID. Students who present a valid NCAC institution ID at the gate will be admitted free of charge.