The Ladies basketball team took down the Wittenberg University Tigers by a score of 64-50 last Wednesday. The win was a strong start to their North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) schedule, and the Ladies improved their record to 5-1.

The Ladies had the advantage from the outset. Kenyon outscored Wittenberg 25-10 in the first quarter, due in part to a strong performance from Jessica Gerber ’19, who tallied 17 points in 37 minutes. On the other side, Wittenberg’s Delaney Williams and Sydney Mayle combined for 24 of the Tigers’ 50 points.

The Ladies put forth a team effort on both sides of the ball. Four players scored in double figures, and the team tallied 18 assists compared to Wittenberg’s six. The Ladies had crisp passing throughout the game, led by starting guards Gerber and Sharon Hull ’19. Defensively, the Ladies outscored the Tigers 29 to four off turnovers and tallied 15 steals.

The Tigers came into the game averaging the most points in the NCAC. Despite this offensive prowess, Kenyon was able to hold them to a season low of 50 points.

The Tigers outscored the Ladies 22-10 in the paint, a fact that had no bearing on the outcome of the game. The Ladies made up for it with efficient offense and, most importantly, by forcing Wittenberg to turn the ball over. The turnover margin and points off turnovers were the game’s deciding factors.

On Saturday, the Ladies edged out the Denison University Big Red by a score of 48-46. The win keeps the Ladies undefeated in conference play at 2-0. It was a defensive battle throughout the game. Gerber again led Kenyon’s scoring with 12 points but was the only Lady in double figures.

Denison’s offense was paced by the play of their promising sophomore, and leading scorer, Lauren Hofer. An imposing 5’10” Ohio native, Hofer tallied 14 points, again the only member of her team in double digits. She also managed two blocks and a steal for the Big Red.

The Ladies were up by as many as 12 in the contest and led by 10 in the fourth quarter. However, Denison surged back in the final period. The Big Red even managed to take a one-point lead late in the game, only to have it snatched away for good by the Ladies. Kenyon was poised down the stretch. Griffin Tullis ’18 and Paige Matijasich ’20 each hit pivotal free throws to help seal the deal.

“It was a good game to test our mental toughness as a team, and we were happy with the outcome,” Tullis said.

On Wednesday night, the Ladies defeated Allegheny College 65-42 and pushed their winning sreak to six, as Matijasich led the way with 16 points.

The Ladies hope to tack on more wins in the nine games before classes resume after break and assert themselves as one of the top teams in the NCAC for a second straight year.