In a rivalry game against the 17-2 Oberlin College Yeowomen, the Ladies basketball team looked to avenge their narrow overtime loss from their Jan. 15 meeting earlier this season. Despite the closeness of the previous outing against the Yeowomen, the Ladies lost this week’s game with a score of 82-49. On Wednesday, the Ladies were hoping to get back into the win column against Wittenberg University. Unfortunately, this was not the case, as Kenyon lost 57-46.

After Oberlin got off to an 8-0 start, Grace Connery ’22 hit two 3-pointers to reduce Oberlin’s lead to two points. However, great shooting and stifling defense allowed the Yeowomen to stretch their lead to finish the first quarter 21-8. In the second and third quarters, the Ladies managed to stay within striking distance of the Yeowomen thanks to great shooting from Connery. She scored 20 points on six 3-pointers for the game. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that Oberlin was able to put any doubt of the outcome to rest, shutting down the Ladies’ offense and outscoring them 22-5. 

In the Ladies’ second weekend game, they faced off against their other rivals at Denison University. To start the game, Greta Propp ’22 hit a short jumper, and Katie Orefice ’23 made a three to give Kenyon a 5-0 lead. Throughout the quarter, Denison crawled back into the game, taking the lead in the final seconds with a layup. After both teams went back and forth exchanging runs, the Ladies quickly came back from a 20-14 deficit, helped by a play by Madelyn Anderson ’22, who hit two 3-pointers. A shot by Bridget Molnar ’22 with 16 seconds left in the quarter tied the game at 29 at halftime. 

For the first three minutes of the third quarter, the teams exchanged baskets again. Anderson hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead down to one, as Denison led 35-34. Unfortunately, the Ladies went cold from the field at the wrong time, as Denison started to pull away and took a 51-42 lead into the fourth quarter. While the Ladies were able to stay within striking distance for most of the game, they ultimately fell to Denison 71-56. For the Ladies, Anderson scored 15 points on five 3-pointers, and Orefice and Propp added 11.

The Ladies traveled to Springfield, Ohio on Wednesday to play the Wittenberg Tigers. The Tigers did not waste any time in the game, starting off on a 10-0 run. However, Kenyon was able to fight their way back into the game. Midway into the second quarter, Cinnery hit a three to get within three of Wittenberg. For the remaining six-plus minutes of the half, the Ladies were able to keep pace with the Tigers, trailing by only three at the  break.  

Kenyon came out of the locker room determined to take the lead in the third. They did just that, when Propp made her second free throw to put the Ladies in front 34-33. After the Tigers scored a bucket in the paint to take back the lead, Kenyon quickly regained the advantage by hitting both their shots at the line. To close out the quarter on a high note, Orefice stole the ball with eight seconds left in the third and dribbled down the court before making a basket as time expired to give Kenyon a 38-35 lead heading into the fourth. Just as the Ladies had done in the second quarter, the Tigers clawed their way back, taking the lead with a little over eight minutes left to go in the game. Unfortunately for Kenyon, the Tigers continued to have success offensively. Late in the fourth quarter, Wittenberg went on a 15-2 run to close out the game. The final score was 57-46. Claudia Cooke ’24 finished the game with a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.  

The Ladies are now 6-18 on the season. With their upcoming matchup being the last home game of the year, Kenyon will celebrate Senior Day. Tipoff is at 1:00 p.m. in Tomsich Arena.