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Kenyon College Athletics

Fuerst_Dylan_1MBK24
Graham Stokes
66
Kenyon Kenyon 4-12,2-5 NCAC
70
Winner Denison Den 10-6,6-1 NCAC
Kenyon Kenyon
4-12,2-5 NCAC
66
Final
70
Denison Den
10-6,6-1 NCAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Kenyon Kenyon 30 36 66
Denison Den 40 30 70

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Four Owls reach double figures, fall to Big Red

GRANVILLE, Ohio – The Kenyon College Owls made the short trek to Granville on Saturday afternoon to take on the top-seeded Denison Big Red in a North Coast Athletic Conference matchup.

Despite four Owls gaining double figures on the stat sheet and controlling the paint, Kenyon ultimately could not convert down the stretch when it counted most, falling 66-70 in a game that was close all the way through.

Through the game's first five minutes, Kenyon (4-12, 2-5 NCAC) hung right with Denison, as Dylan Fuerst scored the first two buckets of the contest, a hot start on his way to a team-high 13 points. Anthony Testa backed it up with a three and Charlie Heywood had a nice post move to put the Owls within striking distance, trailing 13-9 early. 

Both sides began the game with the expected physicality of a rivalry matchup. Still, the Owls got into foul trouble, committing six fouls in just six minutes to nearly put the Big Red in the bonus and falling behind in the contest by double digits. 

As the first half reached the midway point, great rebounding on the defensive end and off-ball movement on offense got Connor Moss, Gefen Bar-Cohen, and Murathan Kocaman involved, sparking a 7-0 run to tie the game at 23 with seven minutes remaining. 

Denison (10-6, 6-1 NCAC) shot 60 percent from three and 66 percent from the field in the final minutes of the first to end the half up 40-30. The Big Red capitalized on the Owls' nine turnovers with eleven points and recorded 14 fast-break points. Conversely, Kenyon ended the half shooting 36 percent from the field and 25 percent from three, but dominated the points in the paint matchup. 

In the second, the Owls continued to exploit the inside mismatch, netting 14 straight points from the paint to start the half, as Heywood powered through a foul to hit the layup and the free throw to bring Kenyon within single digits five minutes into the half. 

With less than ten minutes to play, the once-hot Denison offense began to cool off, going 0-for-5 from three and 39 percent from the field, allowing Kenyon, led by Kocaman's four straight points, to bring the Owls within five trailing 53-58.

Down the stretch, Denison's offense began extending possessions and collapsing the paint on defense, creating a bit of a dry spell as the game reached the final three minutes, as Kenyon only scored six points in seven minutes. Nevertheless, Kenyon managed to keep it close with tight defense of its own, down four with two minutes remaining after a huge Testa deep ball, his fourth of the afternoon. 

With 40 seconds to play, Nick Nelson scored four straight points to bring Kenyon even with Denison 66-66 as the Big Red brought the ball up on offense. However, after a Big Red bucket and crucial turnover leading to two made free throws, Kenyon ran out of time and Denison was able to walk away the winner 70-66.

Four Owls ended the game in double figures, a feat that's only happened twice before this season. Fuerst led the squad with 13, Kocaman and Testa each had 12, and Bar-Cohen finished with 11 points. Heywood finished with a career-high seven points and Nelson had six with a team-high three assists, tied with Bar-Cohen. 

The rivalry loss drops Kenyon to 4-12 on the season and 2-5 in the conference. The Owls return to Gambier on Wednesday, January 17th to take on the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops at 8:00 PM for another conference bout.

 
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