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Kenyon College Athletics

MBK Seniors
Sejin Kim
72
Winner Denison Den 14-10,10-5 NCAC
53
Kenyon Kenyon 5-18,3-11 NCAC
Winner
Denison Den
14-10,10-5 NCAC
72
Final
53
Kenyon Kenyon
5-18,3-11 NCAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Denison Den 37 35 72
Kenyon Kenyon 25 28 53

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Kenyon celebrates Senior Day against Denison

GAMBIER, Ohio – In the penultimate home game of the 2023-2024 season, the Kenyon College men's basketball team honored the 2024 Senior Class against the Dension University Big Red. 

Despite an energetic start in front of a packed Tomsich Arena, the Owls couldn't keep up with the Big Red offense ultimately falling 72-53. 

Before the game, Kenyon recognized Dylan Fuerst, Anthony Testa, Drew Valentino, and Ian Weihe for their contributions to the program both on and off the court. 

Denison (14-10, 10-5 NCAC) began the game on a 5-0 scoring run, initially quieting the Kenyon (5-18, 3-11 NCAC) faithful. However, Fuerst's three-point jumper and driving athletic finishes from Gefen Bar-Cohen and Nick Nelson headed up a 7-2 scoring run for the Owls, and five minutes into the contest, the score was knotted up at seven.

In the opening half, the Big Red offense, ranked second in points per game in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), shot above their season averages in both three-point percentage and field goal percentage in the first half, shooting 5-for-12 (41.7 percent) from beyond the arc and 13-for-27 (48.1 percent) from the field to fuel a 13 point lead as the game neared halftime.

Bar-Cohen led Kenyon offensively in the first, as the junior had eight points with three rebounds and two assists, but it wasn't enough to keep pace with the efficiency of the Denison offense, as the Owls trailed 37-25 after 20 minutes. 

Fuerst and Nelson opened the second with quick baskets for the Owls, but the offense faltered after that, allowing Denison to open up a 12-0 run in three minutes, coming to an end with a Justin Gagnon three-pointer as Kenyon trailed 56-32 with 13 minutes to play. 

Two minutes later, Valentino provided a much-needed spark for Kenyon and the home crowd, going on a 4-0 solo-scoring run while also hauling in three rebounds, the third leading to a Murathan Kocaman deep three-pointer on the other end. 

Down the stretch, Nelson tallied five points capped off by a tough and-one finish at the rim after a hard foul. Connor Moss added a savvy bucket of his own when he bounced a base-line pass off the back of a Dension defender and hit an easy layup, but the Big Red matched the Owls point for point in the final eight minutes, ultimately falling 72-53.

Nelson was the leading scorer for Kenyon with 12 points, while Bar-Cohen, Moss, and Lucas Friedman dished out two assists a piece. On the other end, Kocaman, Fuerst, and Nelson added two steals. On the glass, Kocaman and Valentino each grabbed a game-high seven boards. 

The loss drops the Owls' record to 5-18 overall and 3-11 in the NCAC. Kenyon looks to bounce back in the team's last home game of the season on Wednesday, taking on the Oberlin College Yeomen at 7:00 pm from Tomsich arena.


 
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