GRINNELL, Iowa -- Gefen Bar-Cohen and Nick Nelson surpassed the 20-point threshold and paced an efficient Kenyon offense that scored its most points in over a decade, winning 101-95 over Grinnell College (2-4) in a shootout on the road. 

Bar-Cohen, a sophomore, dominated inside, tallying 28 points and nine rebounds while shooting 12-21 from the floor and 4-5 from the free throw line. Nelson, a first-year, put up his best intercollegiate performance, notching a double-double with 20 points and 10 assists while making seven of nine shots.

Senior Nick Lewis put up a season-high in points, rebounds, and assists for the second consecutive game, finishing with 15 points, eight boards, and four dimes while shooting a season-best 5-7 overall and 4-5 from three-point range. David Mazon III added his third double-double in five games, going for 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Grinnell's Aiden Gilbert scored a game-high 31 points, including 19 in the second half, but Kenyon kept the Pioneers from imposing their will, keeping up with the up-and-down style of play. With the win, the Owls improved to 4-1 in the young season. Kenyon has an eight-day break to rest up before returning to Gambier for a game on Nov. 30.

Kenyon and Grinnell went blow-for-blow over the first 10 minutes, as most of the first half's nine lead changes came early. The Owls held a 22-21 edge after Lewis knocked down Kenyon's first three-pointer, but the Pioneers got hot with a 13-5 run powered by a 3-4 clip from the field and a 6-7 mark from the free throw line, going ahead by seven, 34-27.

Nelson righted the ship with a speedy coast-to-coast layup on the ensuing possession, sparking a momentum switch. Nelson scored seven points over a 22-9 Owls run that put the visitors ahead by as much as eight before closing the half with a 49-43 lead. Kenyon shot lights out over the six-minute stretch, going 8-for-12 from the floor and hitting three of five triples while holding the home team to a 3-13, 1-7 clip from the floor and from deep.

Over the first 20 minutes, the Owls outshot the Pioneers by a 50 percent to 34.1 percent clip, turning Grinnell's misses into a whopping 32-17 edge on the boards. The Pioneers took twice as many triples (24 to 12) but made only one more three-pointer in the first frame.

Lewis knocked down a trifecta to open the second half, putting the Owls up by nine. However, Grinnell's commitment to the three-ball paid off as they made three of four from downtown over a 15-6 stretch to tie the game at 58-58.

The teams went back to a back-and-forth battle for the next 13 minutes as Kenyon could not pull away. The Owls pulled ahead by seven with 10:32 on the clock after an Anthony Testa triple and led by five, 82-77, with just under seven minutes left, but the Pioneers kept answering to keep it close. 

The home team took an 84-82 lead at the 4:26 mark and tied the game at 92 with 2:25 left, but Kenyon held onto the ball and mixed timely shots with stops to pull away late. Bar-Cohen scored his 27th and 28th points on a layup to put the Owls up by four with 57 ticks remaining, but Grinnell made it a one-possession game with a free throw on their next trip. 

Ahead 98-95, Miles Versa hit a dagger from deep, knocking down a triple late in the clock off an assist from Testa. After withstanding two looks from deep on a Pioneer possession, Lewis corralled an offensive rebound to help Kenyon run out the clock and clinch the 101-95 win.

The last time Kenyon surpassed the century mark was in 2005 when the team picked up a 115-99 win over Marietta. Overall, Kenyon shot 53.5 percent (38-71) from the floor and 42.9 percent (9-21) from behind the arc. Grinnell made eight fewer field goals on 10 more attempts while only hitting one additional three despite 19 extra shots. The Pioneers stayed in the game thanks to a plus-9 (25-16) mark from the charity stripe. 

Grinnell's frenetic pace and pressure turned Kenyon over 33 times, but the Pioneers were only plus-six (28-22) in points off turnovers. The Owls dominated on the glass, 56-36, Kenyon's most boards since grabbing 56 10 years and 364 days ago on Nov. 22, 2011. The Owls also dished out the fifth-most assists (27) in program history, their most since 2005 (30).