GAMBIER, Ohio — The Kenyon College men’s basketball team made a spirited comeback on their home floor against the Oberlin College Yeomen, but the Owls could not overcome a cold offensive performance as the visitors held on for a 52-47 victory in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) clash.
Kenyon (3-14, 1-7 NCAC) started the scoring with the game’s first points, sparking a back-and-forth affair between two teams that entered the game with matching in-conference records. However, with the score sitting at 11-10 in Oberlin’s (10-7, 2-6 NCAC) favor, the Yeomen scored 16 straight to completely turn the tide.
The Owls offense was held scoreless for eight minutes as the team shot a combined 0-for-11 overall and missed the mark on five three-point attempts. The stretch accentuated a first half that saw Kenyon start the game 0-for-12 from three-point range, while Oberlin could hardly miss early, knocking down five of their first six trifectas. Overall, Kenyon shot just 17.2 percent (5-29) in the first half, though they held Oberlin to a 32.1 percent (9-28) clip.
Despite the drought, Kenyon battled back to end the opening period. The Owls orchestrated a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 10 by the break, and more importantly, build some much-needed momentum. Connor Moss connected from downtown over the spurt, while Murathan Kocaman and Charlie Heywood combined for four points down low.
The Owls maintained their momentum coming out of the locker room, opening the second stanza on a 16-6 run to tie the score at 33 apiece. Marius Mazeika powered the push, scoring seven points over the stretch. The first-year finished with a game-high 18 points, and he emphatically put Kenyon back on top 38-35 with a second straight made triple that pushed the run to 28-8 going back to Kenyon’s first-half-ending run.
The teams traded blows before another three-pointer, this time from Justin Gagnon, gave Kenyon its largest lead at 45-41 with just over six minutes left to play. However, the Yeomen answered with a triple from Will Bosquette III on the ensuing possession, a shot that sparked a game-winning run. Mazeika managed Kenyon’s only make for the rest of the game as the Owls went 1-for-11 to end the game, including missing their final eight shots from downtown. Oberlin benefitted from four timely points from JJ Gray, the team’s leading scorer at 16 points per game who finished with just 10 on 13 shots, and a tough make by Bosquette III as the visitors closed out the 52-47 victory.
Asaan Snipes-Rea paced Oberlin scorers with 11 points off the bench, nearly eight more than his season average, while Andrew Gannon added nine points after starting off 3-for-3 from three-point range.
Gefen Bar-Cohen, Kenyon’s leading scorer, finished with 10 points and pulled down six rebounds. Heywood hauled in a game-high eight boards, followed closely by Mazeika who had seven. Nick Nelson provided a spark on the perimeter, making multiple defensive plays en route to a game-high three steals. The junior also added five rebounds, led the Owls with three assists, and chipped in a block.
Up next, Kenyon stays home for the second game of a three-game homestand. The Owls will welcome DePauw University (8-9, 4-4 NCAC) to Tomsich Arena at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 25, as Kenyon will be celebrating its Alumni Weekend.