GAMBIER, Ohio -- The Kenyon College men's basketball team fell to Ohio Northern University (3-1) 90-68 in a non-conference matchup at Tomsich Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Owls came out of the halftime break with a big counter that brought the home team back, but Kenyon could not overcome turnovers and hot Polar Bears shooting as the team's record moved to 0-3 on the season.

The Polar Bears established control early, building a 43-29 lead by halftime behind efficient shooting, strong play in the paint, and capitalizing on Kenyon turnovers. The Owls shot a strong 50 percent (11-for-22) in the first half, but 14 giveaways led to too many ONU buckets as the visitors shot a stellar 57.1 percent (16-28) overall and 62.5 percent (5-8) from downtown. 

Despite facing their largest deficit of the game, the Owls came out of the locker room with energy and fire. Their tenacity translated to a 13-4 run, pulling Kenyon within five at 47-21. However, Ohio Northern maintained their offensive momentum for the rest of the second half, outscoring Kenyon 47-39 to secure the victory.

Jackson Maloney led the Owls' offense with 13 points in 30 minutes of action, including going 2-for-4 from three-point range. Maloney, a first-year, has started all three of the Owls games, and he's averaging just over 10 points per contest. Fellow first-year, Marius Mazeika contributed a solid all-around performance with 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Mazeika has also started every game, and this was his first double-digit scoring performance. Senior Gefen Bar-Cohen added 11 points and seven rebounds of his own.

Ohio Northern's Will Miller paced all scorers with 21 points on an efficient 7-for-14 shooting performance, including 2-of-5 from beyond the arc. Jadi Cunningham Jr. provided strong support with 18 points and a game-high 11 assists for the Polar Bears while also leading the team with six boards.

The difference in the game largely came down to shooting efficiency and points off turnovers. Ohio Northern shot 56.1 percent from the field compared to Kenyon's 46.5 percent, including a plus-21 mark from three-point range as ONU knocked down 11-of-21 trifectas compared to Kenyon's 4-for-16 showing. The Polar Bears converted 20 Kenyon turnovers into 34 points and also held advantages in second-chance points (13-8) and fast break points (11-4).

Despite the loss, the Owls showed fight on the boards as they outrebounded their opponent, collecting 27 as a team. The frontcourt trio of Mazeika, Bar-Cohen, and Murathan Kocaman combined for 17 of those rebounds.

The Owls will look to bounce back this Wednesday, November 20th, on the road against Heidelberg University. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Tiffin, Ohio.