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GAMBIER, Ohio — The Kenyon College women’s basketball team was bolstered by a career night from Kiana Mollabashy, who led all scorers with 22 points as the Owls welcomed The College of Wooster to Tomsich Arena. The North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) teams went back and forth early and Kenyon battled back late, but the Owls (2-21, 0-13 NCAC) could not overcome a big second-quarter run that helped the Fighting Scots (5-19, 2-11 NCAC) clinch the season’s penultimate game, 71-60.
Mollabashy made her mark early, knocking down a three-pointer to open the scoring and set the tone for her big night. The first-year finished with a season-high 22 points, tying for the most points scored by an Owl this season. Both individual performances came against Wooster, with Mollabashy matching Alyssa Horsley’s 22-point game at Wooster about a month ago.
The first-year duo paced Kenyon’s offense at home, combining for 36 of the team’s 60 points. Mollabashy led the way in the first half with 14 points, including a 5-for-7 clip from long range, while Horsley scored all 14 of her points in the second half to help the Owls mount a comeback. Yet another first-year, Susannah Zimmerman, added to Kenyon’s effort in a big way. Zimmerman had eight points and four assists in the first half, finishing the game with 10 points and five dimes. The scoring marked a third straight double-figure game for Zimmerman, and her five assists tied Horsley for an individual season high.
Wooster also had three double-digit scorers, as Ella Biondi (19), Tatiyana Sturdivant (15), and Mackenzie Riccitelli (14) paced the Scots. Biondi had a huge impact, shooting an impressive 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) adding a game-high 10 rebounds for the double-double and tying for the lead with three blocks.
The Fighting Scots built a 13-7 first-quarter lead, but Mollabashy knocked down two more triples to pull within two after one quarter. Kenyon kept the momentum going in the second frame, and an 8-2 run put the Owls up 26-22 with 5:27 on the clock.
Unfortunately for Kenyon, the four-point lead would go down as the home team’s largest of the game. Wooster whipped up a 22-5 run to end the half, taking a 44-31 lead into the locker room. The stretch continued in the third quarter as Biondi made the half’s first two shots, giving the Fighting Scots a 17-point lead, the largest of the game.
Grace Murphy and Mollabashy bookended Kenyon’s third-quarter scoring with triples, and Kenyon clawed all the way back to make it a one-possession game late in the fourth quarter. Horsley scored nine points over a 12-3 start to the final frame, but Wooster scored the game’s last nine points to clinch the 71-60 final.
Kenyon has one more game left this season as the Owls will host Oberlin College on Saturday, February 22. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. in Tomsich Arena.
