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Kenyon College Athletics

Murphy_Grace_1WBK24
Sejin Kim
49
Kenyon Kenyon 3-19,1-10 NCAC
55
Winner Wooster Woost 6-15,1-9 NCAC
Kenyon Kenyon
3-19,1-10 NCAC
49
Final
55
Wooster Woost
6-15,1-9 NCAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Kenyon Kenyon 15 15 11 8 49
Wooster Woost 16 6 12 21 55

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Owls outshoot Scots, falter in the end

WOOSTER, Ohio – The Kenyon College women's basketball team made the short trip north to take on The College of Wooster Fighting Scots on Saturday afternoon in a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) matchup. 

Despite having season-high marks in multiple shooting categories, costly turnovers and defensive struggles to open and close the game held Kenyon back, ultimately falling 55-49.

Claudia Cooke and Grace Murphy led the efficient offensive effort, scoring 15 and 12 points respectively as Murphy hit her career high in points, minutes, and rebounds. As a team, Kenyon (3-19, 1-10 NCAC) shot 50 percent from both the field and from three point range, the best rates of the season for the squad. Additionally, the Owls outrebounded the Scots 32-26, but a 29-9 turnover discrepancy proved to be the difference. 

Looking for revenge from the season's first matchup, where the Owls triumphed 63-44, Wooster (6-15, 1-9 NCAC) started the game on a 7-0 run, taking up just over three minutes of the contest. However, Murphy hit two quick threes to stall the Scots attack, part of a nine-point first half for Murphy shooting 3-for-5 from downtown. 

From there, Cooke and Anissa Hardy entered the stat sheet, combining for six points to end the back-and-forth first quarter, and after Raine Hammel drained a three, Kenyon found itself down 15-16 after one. 

In the second, it was Kenyon's turn to go on a scoring run, netting eight straight led by Cooke, who scored nearly half of the Owls points in the quarter while shooting 80 percent from the field, hauling in four boards and dishing two assists. 

Cooke's hearty second period along with supplemental scoring from Mikayla Rudolph, Skye Shepherd and Murphy led the Owls to an excellent first half, up 30-22 at halftime while shooting 54 percent from the field.

Scoring stalled for both teams in the third quarter, but Kenyon was able to maintain an impressive shooting percentage and battle through tough defense by Wooster. Murphy and Melana Pomerants combined for 7-of-12 Owls points in the third, as Kenyon led 41-34 with 10 minutes to go.

Matching the opening quarter, Wooster hit a 7-0 run to start the final quarter, knotting the game up at 41 nearing the halfway point. Just as the Scots were gaining momentum, Cooke and Hardy scored on back to back possessions, giving the Owls a three-point lead and quieting the home crowd.

Down the stretch, Wooster continued to apply pressure and after Cooke hit a contested layup, the game was tied at 49 with one minute remaining. The Scots would hit one of two from the line on the ensuing possession after a defensive foul, giving Wooster a 50-49 edge with 30 seconds to play. 

The Owls missed a tough go-ahead shot and were forced to foul, where Wooster made both free throws to go up 52-49 and the Scots never looked back, winning 55-49.

The loss drops the Kenyon to 3-19 overall and 1-10 in conference. The Owls are back on the road on Wednesday to take on the Ohio Wesleyan University Battling Bishops at 6:00 pm from Delaware, Ohio.

 
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