After holding a 15-point lead at one point in the first half, the Kenyon College women’s basketball team held on to beat Hiram College, 69-63, Wednesday.
Kenyon improved to 4-12, 2-5 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. Hiram slid to 3-11, 0-7 in the NCAC.
After winning the opening tip-off, Kenyon’s Madelyn Anderson found Claudia Cooke inside for the game’s opening bucket and the Ladies’ first lead of the match-up. Following the Ladies’ first points, the Terriers forced a back-and-forth contest. With Kenyon holding the lead, Katie Orefice scored off a pass from Madelyn Anderson, followed by a pair of Greta Propp free throws to give the Ladies an 18-11 lead. The Ladies held on to their seven-point lead as the first quarter came to a close with Kenyon leading Hiram 27-20.
Opening up the second quarter, the Ladies connected on their first five field goals and jumped out to an 11-3 fun. Kenyon continued to shoot well in the second quarter when Grace Connery nailed a shot from deep. As the horn sounded for halftime, Anderson saw her floater bounce in to give the Ladies a 45-31 lead. Going into the locker room, Orefice led all scorers with 19 points.
Out of the locker room, Hiram hit five straight shots to cut the Ladies’ lead to 47-43. Hiram opened the half on a 16-2 run and tied the game, forcing Kenyon to take a timeout. The Terriers took the lead on a free throw by Cici Bright. Propp scored the Ladies’ first points of the quarter after a long drought on a pair of free throws. On the next possession, Propp made Kenyon’s first bucket from the field in the frame and forced an and-one. After a Hiram dominated third quarter, the Ladies clung to a 53-52 lead going into the final quarter.
Starting the scoring for Kenyon in the fourth, Propp hit a three-pointer to extend the lead. A few moments later, Propp drew a charge on defense, giving the Ladies a spark of momentum. At the halfway point in the fourth, Kenyon held a one-point lead. With 2 1/2 minutes remaining, the Terriers stole the lead again. A pair of Orefice free throws took the lead back momentarily, but another Hiram three-point shot restored the Terriers’ advantage. With under a minute to go, Cooke’s strong defense forced a missed shot inside. The Terriers stopped the clock with 20 seconds left, but an offensive foul gave the Ladies’ two free throws. Propp walked down the court and nailed both attempts, forcing another Hiram timeout. At the end of the game, the Ladies escaped with a 69-63 win.
Four Ladies starters ended in double-digit scoring for the game, led by Orefice’s game-high 21 points, followed by Propp’s 15
