GRANVILLE, Ohio—Buckets were hard to come by during Wednesday night's defensive struggle between the Kenyon College and Denison University women's basketball teams. The visiting Ladies, however, solved the Denison defense in third-quarter play and went on to record a 44-38 North Coast Athletic Conference win.

The victory was Kenyon's fifth in a row and ran the Ladies' records to 17-3 overall and 10-1 in NCAC play. Additionally, the win was Kenyon's first at Denison since a 72-65 victory on January 23, 2008.

The defensive dominance began right from the start. The two teams combined to shoot 4-for-25 in the first quarter, which ended with the Ladies holding a 6-5 advantage. Those six Kenyon points were registered on a field goal from Paige Matijasich, a free throw from Ifeoma Archimalo and then a three-pointer from Griffin Tullis with 1:03 left in the quarter.

Denison hit a three-pointer in the first two minutes of the game and managed just one field goal over the next eight minutes.

The second quarter didn't get any easier for Denison. The Ladies' defense held the Big Red to just one field goal through the first nine minutes of the quarter. Kenyon had a 17-12 lead at that point and got to halftime with an 18-14 lead. Both teams shot 5-for-25 (20 percent) through those first 20 minutes of play. Tullis led the Ladies with five first-half points, while Denison's Brittany Atkinson had eight at the break.

In the third, Kenyon's offense got on track. Three-pointers from Ellie Schaub and Jessica Gerber pushed the Ladies to a 32-20 lead. Denison cut the gap back down to seven points, but Kenyon quickly bumped it back up to a dozen with another three-ball from Gerber followed by a jumper from Kiele Anderson.

Early in the fourth quarter, Tullis hit one of two free throws and then drained a three-pointer. On Kenyon's next possession, Sharon Hull knocked down a jumper to give the Ladies a 14-point cushion, the largest of the evening.

Denison (8-11, 3-7 NCAC) didn't fade away. While the Ladies missed their next seven shots, the Big Red went on an 8-0 run that got them within five points (43-38) with a little more than two minutes to play. That, however, would be just about it for either offense. A Tullis free throw was the only point scored during those final two minutes of play.

Overall, Denison was 15-for-53 (28.3 percent) from the field, while Kenyon was 13-for-53 (24.5 percent). The Ladies did manage to connect on five three-pointers and 13 free throws, compared to just two three-pointers and six free throws for the Big Red.

Tullis ended up with a team-high 12 points and also grabbed 10 rebounds to record her first double-double of the season and the second of her Kenyon career. Her 10 rebounds were matched by Lane Davis, who also scored six points. Their work on the glass gave the Ladies a decisive 49-30 rebounding advantage.

Kenyon scoring also came from Gerber, who finished with ten points, and Schaub, who added seven.

Atkinson led the way for Denison by scoring a game-high 15 points.