DELAWARE, Ohio – After a tightly contested matchup earlier in the season, the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops had the Kenyon College men's basketball team's number on Wednesday night. The Bishops defeated the Lords 79-60 behind five players in double-digit scoring.
David Mazon paced all scorers with 18 points.
The Lords started the game on the right foot as Mazon converted the game's first made bucket a minute and a half in, giving the Lords a three-point advantage. Kenyon and Ohio Wesleyan continued to pace each other until Mazon hit another three-point shot with 16:06 left in the first half. After a scoring drought by both teams, Zane Ries gave the Bishops a one-point lead on his layup. From there, Ohio Wesleyan went on a 15-2 run lasting just over six minutes.
Dylan Fuerst snapped the run on a layup with 7:38 remaining in the first half. With the Lords down and looking for a spark, Fuerst drove down the lane once again where he converted a turn around jumper with a foul. Fuerst sank the free throw to chip away at the Ohio Wesleyan lead. At the end of the first half, the Bishops sat firmly in control, holding a 43-20 lead.
Kenyon, looking to get back in the game, turned to
Alex Boyd to start the scoring.
Miles Versa found Boyd on a cut through the defense to start a 9-2 run to open the half. Despite being down, the Lords continued to shoot as
Anthony Testa nailed a quick-release three with 15:53 left in the second half. At the seven minute mark, Mazon grabbed the offensive board and got the put back. The Lords' defense forced a turnover on the Bishops' next possession but Ohio Wesleyan forced a turnover of their own on a shot clock violation. As the clock went under three minutes,
Drew Valentino finished his shot through a hard foul to bring the score to 76-54. Kenyon's final bucket came with 25 seconds remaining as
Sam Walch got his own rebound and made the shot off the glass.
The Lords slide to 2-15, 0-10 in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) play while Ohio Wesleyan improves to 11-7, 8-3 in the NCAC. Kenyon faces NCAC foe DePauw University on Saturday at 3 p.m. for Senior Day.
