GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon College women's basketball team was locked in a back-and-forth battle throughout Saturday afternoon at Tomsich Arena, but a late surge by Oberlin College proved decisive as the Yeowomen pulled away for a 67-57 win in North Coast Athletic Conference play.
Kenyon drops to 6-12 overall and 1-6 in NCAC play, while Oberlin snapped a six-game losing streak to improve to 6-12 overall and 2-5 in conference play.
Oberlin struck first with an early layup and pushed ahead 4-0 before Kenyon found its footing. Sophomore Kiana Mollabashy put the Owls on the board from deep at the 6:33 mark (4-3), and first-year Abby Burdette buried a triple to give Kenyon its first lead. Oberlin responded with a late free throw to carry a slim 15-13 edge into the second quarter.
The second quarter featured several momentum swings. Oberlin briefly pushed its lead, but Kenyon countered with timely baskets from sophomore Susannah Zimmerman and Alyssa Horsley. Despite struggling to find consistency from the field, the Owls' efficiency at the charity stripe kept them within striking distance heading into halftime, trailing by just three at 28-25
Coming out of halftime, Oberlin flipped the momentum. A pair of early finishes by Gaby Peña-Hilzen swung the lead back to the Yeowomen, and while Kenyon answered with timely makes, including Burdette's three that tied the game at 31-31, Oberlin countered quickly and continued to build separation. By the end of the third, Oberlin had pushed its advantage to 48-40.
Oberlin opened the fourth with a tip-in (9:42) to stretch the margin to double digits, but Kenyon kept fighting. Mollabashy hit two free throws at 7:43 to chip away, and the Owls found rhythm from beyond the arc late from Zimmerman and Mollabashy and a strong finish from senior Anissa Hardy. However, Oberlin answered each push, converting inside and at the line to seal the 67-57 result.
Despite the loss, several Owls delivered strong individual performances. First-year Abby Burdette led Kenyon with a career-best 13 points while also setting new personal highs in minutes played, rebounds, amd three-pointers made, adding four boards, two assists, and three from beyond the arc. Sophomore Kiana Mollabashy finished with 10 points, three rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. Zimmerman and Horsley each chipped in eight points, with Zimmerman pulling down six rebounds and dishing out four assists, while Horsley added three assists of her own.
As a team, Kenyon endured a challenging shooting night, finishing 17-for-54 (31.5 percent) from the field, but the Owls excelled at the free-throw line, converting 14-of-15 attempts (93.3 percent), one of their best marks of the season. Oberlin held the rebounding edge at 37–32 and shot 49.1 percent from the field.
A classic NCAC rivalry is on deck, as the Owls host perennial nationally ranked No. 8 Denison University next Saturday, January 31, with tip-off set for 3:00 p.m.
