After leading by five at halftime, the Kenyon College women’s basketball team couldn’t find an offensive rhythm in the second half as it fell to Ohio Wesleyan University, 82-62, Jan. 12.
The loss drops the Ladies to 3-11 overall and 1-4 in the North Coast Athletic Conference, while the Battling Bishops improve to 11-3 (4-1 NCAC).
The first quarter started strong for the Ladies as action went back and forth between the two teams. Claudia Cooke scored on a layup to give Kenyon a one-point lead, sparking a five point run by the Ladies. With the clock closing in on the end of the quarter, Katie Orefice made a layup to restore the five-point advantage, 21-16.
The Battling Bishops came out of the break determined to take the lead. With 7:47 left in the third, Molly Delaney gave the Bishops their first lead since the first quarter, but Orefice responded with a jumper to steal the lead back. Both teams exchanged shots until the 3:02 mark, when Delaney nailed another jumper to give Ohio Wesleyan the lead for good.
Down the stretch, Ohio Wesleyan limited the offensive possessions for Kenyon while converting its own opportunities, taking the contest 82-62.
Lauren Denison led all scorers with 20 points, while the Ladies’ Orefice scored a team-high 17 points and pulled in seven rebounds.
The Kenyon College Lords also suffered a difficult defeat, losing to the College of Wooster Scots, 91-77, Wednesday evening on the road. Despite leading by as many as 13 points after a well-played first half, the Lords saw their lead evaporate late in the game after an offensive barrage by the Scots.
The game was a high-intensity, back-and-forth affair from the beginning, with both sides trading buckets. Neither team led by more than three points until a Nick Lewis trey put the Lords up 22-18 with 12:23 in the first half. That bucket began a shift of momentum in the Lords’ favor, sparking a 13-5 run that gave Kenyon a 32-23 lead.
The Scots opened the second half strong on the back of stellar play from Jamir Billings. Billings opened the period with a 13-point, one-assist run, punctuated by his third trey of the half that tied the game at 53-53. The Lords were feeling the pressure, but responded with a 9-0 run, with Miles Versa scoring six points during the burst. But as they did all game, the Scots started to claw away at their deficit slowly but surely.
With nine minutes left and the score tied 68-68, Wooster took control, consistently breaking through the Lords’ defense to go up 81-73 with 4:35 left to play.
Despite the loss, Versa had a big game for Kenyon. The first-year player poured in 26 points on 11-for-15 shooting.
