GRANVILLE, Ohio -- The Kenyon College men's basketball team was defeated by Denison University by a score of 82-61, dropping the Owls to a 7-7 record and an 0-5 mark against North Coast Athletic Conference foes.

The Owls were neck-and-neck with the Big Red for the first four minutes, trailing 8-7, but Denison opened up a double-digit lead with 10 unanswered points. The two-minute spurt saw the home team connect on all four shots while Kenyon went 0-2 with two turnovers.

The margin hovered around 10 for the next 10 minutes before Denison increased its edge to 14, 38-24, with two minutes left in the opening period. From there, Nick Nelson took control, converting an and-one layup on the next possession and scoring all of Kenyon's points over a 5-1 stretch. Nelson was Kenyon's first-half catalyst, scoring 11 points on an efficient 5-7 clip while snagging three rebounds.

The Owls cut even further into their first-half deficit in the final seconds when Miles Versa converted a tough jumper to make it an eight-point game, 39-31, through 20 minutes. 

Kenyon turned the ball over seven times compared to Denison's two giveaways, leading to a 6-0 first-half advantage in points off of turnovers for the Big Red. Though the teams shot a similar percentage in the first half, Denison knocked down two additional triples, while the Owls shot just 2-15 from behind the arc in the opening period.

Versa kept it going with seven of Kenyon's first 10 second-half points, but the Owls could not pull closer than seven points as the deficit stayed near 10 for the first six minutes. After the back-and-forth play, Scotty Dean gave Denison its largest lead, putting the Big Red up 16, 57-41, after knocking down three-pointers on consecutive possessions.

The margin was at 14 at the midway point in the second half before both teams went cold, and the game experienced a scoring drought of nearly three minutes. The Owls could not capitalize on Denison's cold stretch, and the Big Red were the first squad to rediscover their offense. Denison rifled off an 8-0 run over after hitting three consecutive shots, including back-to-back trifectas, opening up a 22-point lead at 71-49.

Two Denison free throws extended the lead to 24, and it did not take long for the teams to empty their benches. At the final horn, Denison (7-6, 3-2 NCAC) claimed an 82-61 win.

Nelson finished as Kenyon's leading scorer with 11 points, while Versa and David Mazon III each chipped in nine. Drew Valentino provided energy off the bench, grabbing seven rebounds in seven minutes while adding four points.

Kenyon's next chance to notch its first NCAC win comes against The College of Wooster on Monday, Jan. 9. The road game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff.