GAMBIER, Ohio -- In a Wednesday night clash between two teams hungry to climb the North Coast Athletic Conference standings, the Kenyon College Owls (3-11, 1-4 NCAC) and Wittenberg Tigers (5-9, 1-4 NCAC) delivered a thrilling contest that came down to the final seconds in Tomsich Arena, with the Tigers ultimately prevailing 65-62.

The Owls' young core continued to show why they represent a bright future for the program, with first-years Marius Mazeika, Jackson Burke, and Jackson Maloney each making key first-half contributions to keep Kenyon stride-for-stride with Wittenberg.

The home crowd erupted when Nick Nelson found Burke for a perfectly executed layup, while Maloney demonstrated his growing confidence from beyond the arc, connecting on a crucial three-pointer off a well-timed feed from Miles Versa.

Kenyon (3-12, 1-5 NCAC) trailed by as many as seven in the first half, but pulled even with seven straight points from Mazeika. That got the teams into halftime deadlocked at 34-34.

The second half provided even more drama. After falling behind by eight points, with Wittenberg building a 47-39 advantage, the Owls mounted a spirited comeback led by Versa. His most electrifying moment came with just over two minutes remaining, when he drilled a deep three-pointer to give Kenyon a 60-59 lead, bringing the Tomsich crowd to its feet.

The game's final minutes featured clutch play from both squads. After Wittenberg regained the lead, Maloney showcased his resilience with perhaps the most impressive sequence of the night. After having his initial shot blocked, the freshman gathered his own rebound and connected on an improbable fade-away jumper just before the shot clock expired, putting the Owls back in front 62-61 with 1:20 to play.

The dramatic conclusion saw multiple timeouts by both teams in a chess match reminiscent of late-game football strategy. With 12.6 seconds remaining and trailing 63-62, the Owls had one final chance. Versa, who finished with 11 points and demonstrated his all-around game with three assists and three rebounds, drove hard to his right and created separation from his defender. However, his contested layup attempt wouldn't fall, and after two Wittenberg free throws, the Tigers escaped with the victory.

Mazeika ended up leading the Owls with 15 points. Maloney tied Versa with 11 points and Gefen Bar-Cohen rounded out the team's double-digit scorers with 10. On the boards, Charlie Heywood paced the team with seven rebounds.

Wittenberg (6-9, 2-4 NCAC) got a game-high 18 points from Cameron Harrison and a game-high eight rebounds from Dawson Scott.