Owls drop home duel to No. 10 Denison

GAMBIER, Ohio – The Kenyon College women’s basketball team closed its three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon with a conference rivalry contest against No. 10 ranked Denison University. 

Led by a career outing from first-year Abby Burdette, the Owls were able to hang around with the tenth best team in the nation in the first half. However after the break, the Big Red showed their teeth, building a lead that the home team couldn’t overcome, eventually falling 58-85. 

Burdette supported the Kenyon offense in the early goings of the first, scoring the team’s first five points and seven of 16 in the quarter. The Owls put up 18 shot attempts in the opening frame and hit at a 38.7 percent mark, but Denison was able to build an early lead partially thanks to its effort at the charity stripe. The Big Red hit 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) in the first and after 10 minutes, led 24-16. 

The Big Red opened up the second quarter with a 9-5 run, with Burdette hitting her second triple of the game and Antonia Marzini finding twine for the Owls. With five minutes left to play in the half, the home team trailed 33-21. 

Kenyon did a good job of keeping pace with the nation’s tenth team nearing halftime, as Susannah Zimmerman scored five points in the final five minutes supplemented by Rae Oberster to gain some ground. After 20 minutes, the Owls trailed 39-28. 

In the third quarter, the Big Red turned up the heat on defense, causing six Kenyon turnovers after the break. Similarly on the other end of the court, eight different Denison scorers found the hoop in the third, sinking three triples and eight free throws for a 25-12 run. 

Kiana Mollabashy did her best to keep the Owls offense afloat, scoring seven of the team’s 12 points and sinking two shots beyond the arc. Grace Murphy added a three of her own, but Kenyon found itself in a 64-40 hole heading into the final 10 minutes. 

The final frame was the best for the Owls offense, but the Big Red were able to match them basket for basket. Anissa Hardy led the charge in the fourth with eight points, while as a team Kenyon shot 5-of-13 (38.5 percent) from the field and added eight points from the free throw line. The 18 points were the team’s highest offensive output of the day, but in the end, Denison took the game 85-58. 

Burdette led the team with a career high 14 points, while Mollabashy and Hardy joined in with double figures, scoring 12 and 10 respectively with Hardy hauling in a team high seven boards. Zimmerman dished a team high four assists, while on the other side of the ball, Burdette led the team with two steals, and Mollabashy swiped two steals. 

Kenyon’s record drops to 6-13 on the season and 1-7 in the North Coast Athletic Conference. The Owls will hit the road for the next two games, the first tipping off on Wednesday, February 4 at 7:00 p.m. against Wittenberg University. 

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