Ladies basketball fell to against the DePauw University Tigers on their senior day on Saturday. The Tigers are ranked No. 6 in the nation according to a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) poll. Seniors Griffin Tullis, Campbell Fee and Ifeoma Archimalo all started on their final home game in Kenyon uniform and were honored for their commitment at halftime.
The Ladies were unable to capture a needed conference win, falling to the Tigers by a score of 61-49. This was the second loss of the week for the Ladies after losing to Oberlin three days earlier. Sharon Hull ’19 led the offense against the Tigers by scoring a team-high 16 points, and 12 of her 16 points came from behind the arc. The Ladies looked strong throughout the first half, taking a 27-18 lead into halftime.
Coming out of the half, the Ladies started off strong, extending their lead to as much as 13 points, but the tide began to turn with 5:41 left in the third quarter. Kenyon’s lead was cut to three points by the end of the quarter, with DePauw tying Kenyon with a minute left in the quarter. In the fourth quarter, DePauw began to pull away as they outscored Kenyon 21-6.
The Ladies played well for the majority of the game, but ball security was a problem for the team. The team’s sloppy passes and handling were a surprise, considering the Ladies rank second in the NCAC in fewest turnovers per game at 14.2. But on Saturday, the Ladies turned the ball over 18 times, and the Tigers converted those turnovers into a total of 23 points.
The Ladies also struggled to score in the second half as both field goal and three-point percentage fell in the second half.
The Ladies lit up the floor in the first half and posted a field goal percentage of 50 percent and an incredible 37.50 percent from behind the arc. However, in the second half those totals dropped to 32 percent from the field and 16.67 percent from long range. DePauw did the opposite, posting a below average field goal percentage of 18.52 percent and 14.29 percent from three-point range in the first half, but then increasing those totals to 50 percent in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage.
On Wednesday the Ladies were able to salvage their week with a win against Wooster. The Ladies thoroughly dominated the game, as they were up by a score of 50-32 at halftime and never gave up the lead en route to a 77-60 win. Kenyon led by as many as 29 points during the game. During the win, the Ladies improved their shooting from their previous game, hitting 47.6 percent of their field goal attempts and 38.9 percent of their three-point attempts.
The Ladies’ starters showed both their skill and stamina in the game as four players gathered double digit points and played more than 30 minutes. Tullis and Hull led the team, combining for 40 points, more than half of the Ladies’ points. Paige Matijasich ’20 recorded a double-double pairing 10 rebounds with 10 points in 35 minutes of play.
Currently the Ladies sit third in the conference standings behind DePauw and Oberlin, and while it is impossible for them to catch DePauw, Kenyon still has a chance to finish second in the conference. They will need some help from DePauw, who plays Oberlin on Saturday, since the Ladies sit one game behind the Yeowomen in the standings with only one game left.
The Ladies have the regular season finale on Saturday against Hiram College. This final game is pivotal, as the Ladies will be looking to build momentum going into the conference tournament.