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Kenyon College Athletics

Moss_Connor2MBK24
Graham Stokes
80
Winner Wittenberg Witten 10-4,4-1 NCAC
75
Kenyon Kenyon 4-10,2-3 NCAC
Winner
Wittenberg Witten
10-4,4-1 NCAC
80
Final
75
Kenyon Kenyon
4-10,2-3 NCAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Wittenberg Witten 39 41 80
Kenyon Kenyon 36 39 75

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Owls fall in tight contest with Tigers

GAMBIER, Ohio – The details seemed to matter most today as the Kenyon College Owls men's basketball team took on the Wittenberg University Tigers from Tomsich Arena on Saturday afternoon for a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) faceoff. 

Although the Owls (4-10, 2-3 NCAC) were able to stay within reach the entire game, dry spells from the charity stripe and getting into foul trouble at the other end allowed the Tigers (10-4, 3-1 NCAC) to sneak past Kenyon 80-75. 

Connor Moss and Gefen Bar-Cohen lead the Owls' offensive efforts, each reaching 20 points as Moss led the squad and had a career-best 24-point afternoon while also setting record marks in field goals made (8), field goals attempted (14), and three-pointers made (3). 

The two leaders for the Owls were clicking right from the tip, combining for all of the team's nine points while trailing 13-9 four minutes in. After this point, the duo would combine for only ten more points in the half's final 16 minutes, giving room for other players to answer the call. 

Murathan Kocaman shot 50 percent from the field and hauled in four boards on his way to a five-point first half, while Lucas Friedman and Dylan Fuerst each had four points. Going into halftime, Kenyon shot 2-7 (28.5 percent) from the line while Wittenberg was able to capitalize on seven Owls turnovers and go a perfect five-for-five at the charity stripe, and led 39-36 after 20 minutes.

After halftime, the Owls' foul troubles quickly began to pile up. Before the midway point in the half, Kenyon had already committed seven fouls, allowing Wittenberg several trips to the line, which the team capitalized on at a 92.6 percent rate for the game.

Kenyon was able to battle through the Tigers' charity stripe successes, and as the game reached two-and-a-half minutes to play, Moss found Bar-Cohen under the basket to cut the Wittenberg lead to eight, part of a combined 25-point second half from the leading duo. 

Thirty seconds later, after a block by Dylan Fuerst on the Tigers' leading scorer Trey Killens, Moss scooped up the rebound and drove the length of the floor to hit a contested layup and bring Kenyon closer 70-64. 

Moss would go on to score nine of the Owls' eleven final points, but ultimately, Wittenberg was able to match each bucket with two free throws or a basket of its own on the other end, keeping Kenyon at a distance and going on to win 80-75.

As a team, the Owls shot 48.3 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from three, but only 50 percent from the charity stripe and committed 24 personal fouls to Wittenberg's 12, holding the squad back significantly this afternoon.

Moss finished with 24 points to lead the Owls on 57.1 percent shooting from the field and 60 percent from three. Bar-Cohen also had an efficient day from the field, hitting 20 points on 80 percent from the field and cashing in on his lone three. Kocaman was next for Kenyon with 14 points, while Friedman and Anthony Testa each scored six. 

The loss drops the Owls' record to 4-10 on the year and 2-3 in the NCAC. Kenyon is back in action on Wednesday, January 10th as the squad travels to Oberlin College to meet the Yeomen for an 8 PM NCAC showdown. 

 
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