GRANVILLE, Ohio – With the Kenyon College Ladies holding an 8-7 lead early in the second half of Saturday's women's lacrosse game, the Denison University Big Red found another gear and closed out the game on a 9-2 run that sealed a 16-10 North Coast Athletic Conference win at Piper Stadium.

The result closed out the 2019 regular season and set the stage for the postseason, which will get underway Thursday with NCAC Tournament semifinal games. The Ladies (13-4, 6-2 NCAC) are the tournament's No. 3 seed and will play at No. 2 seed The College of Wooster beginning at 5 p.m. The Big Red (13-4, 8-0 NCAC) are the No. 1 seed and will host No. 4 seed Oberlin College at 7 p.m. The winners of the semifinal games will meet in Sunday's championship game, which will be held at the highest remaining seed's home site.

In Saturday's game, junior Avery Morgan pushed the Ladies out to a quick start. The Big Red opened with the first two scores, but Morgan answered with one unassisted goal and another assisted by Lucy Somers. She and Somers hooked up again about six minutes later to give Kenyon its first lead at 4-3 with 17:28 showing on the clock.

Denison scored four of the game's next five goals, but Kenyon closed out the half with back-to-back tallies from Alexis Redford-Maung Maung, who knotted things up, 7-7, at intermission.

Twenty seconds into the second half, Maggie Grabowski scored her second goal for Kenyon, giving the Ladies an 8-7 advantage.

Denison stormed back with three goals in less than a two-minute span. Morgan stopped the momentum with her fourth score of the game, but Denison returned fire with four more to take a 14-9 lead with 12:23 left on the clock.

Grabowski later scored once more, giving her three for the game, but Kenyon never got closer than four goals the rest of the way.

Denison ended up outshooting Kenyon 37-23, but the major difference in the game might have been the lopsided free-position totals. Kenyon was 1-for-2, while Denison was 7-for-11. The Ladies played a physical game, however, and were whistled for 29 fouls, compared to just 13 for Denison.

Kenyon appearance in the upcoming NCAC Tournament will be its first since the 2013 season.