The Kenyon women’s basketball team earned their second conference win of the season. After falling in a pair of weekend contests against Oberlin College and Allegheny College (Pa.), the Owls came alive in the second half to defeat Hiram College 62-57. 

In a rematch of their first round matchup in the 2022 NCAC Championship, both Kenyon and Oberlin got off to slow starts on Saturday, with neither team scoring for nearly four minutes. After trading misses on both ends of the court, Bela Krslovic ’24 drew first blood with a 3-pointer, her first of three consecutive makes from beyond the arc. With Kenyon up 13-10 with just over a minute to play in the first quarter, Oberlin tied the game on a 3-pointer before taking the lead with a pair of free throws. The Yeowomen stretched their lead throughout the second quarter to hold a 39-31 advantage after 20 minutes, and they grew their lead to 15 by the end of the third quarter. Though the Owls narrowly outscored the Yeowomen in the final frame, Oberlin took the contest 72-59. 

The next day, Kenyon faced off against a former NCAC foe, Allegheny. After a close first quarter without much offense, the Gators held a slim 11-10 lead. Allegheny controlled play for much of the second quarter, going on a 14-7 run to lead 25-17 with three minutes left in the frame. Despite facing a steep deficit, Kenyon answered back with a big run of their own to lead 31-29 at the half. Unfortunately for the Owls, the Gators took over in the third quarter, outscoring Kenyon 21-10. The two teams traded points throughout much of the fourth quarter, and, with five and a half minutes left on the clock, Allegheny held a 60-52 lead. From there, the Owls attempted a comeback, capping a 9-2 run with a pair of free throws from Katie Orefice ’23 to trail by just one point. Though the Owls had their chances in the game’s final minute, they could not take the lead and fell 63-61.

The Owls returned home on Wednesday to play the Terriers for the first time this season. In the opening minutes, neither team could get much traction, with Hiram taking a slim 11-9 lead after the first quarter. The back-and-forth play continued through the next frame, and the two teams were tied at 26-all heading into halftime. Kenyon came out of the gate hot to start the second half, riding an 11-3 run to lead 37-29 with just over five minutes to play in the quarter — the Owls’ largest lead of the game. The Terriers did not go away quietly and closed the gap to five points heading into the final quarter. The two teams stayed close throughout the final minutes of the game, with Hiram pulling within three points with 16 seconds left on the clock. Timely shooting from the charity stripe by Alyssa Gest ’26, who led the team with 21 points, put the game away for Kenyon.   

The Owls will next play on Saturday when they travel to Granville, Ohio, to take on the Denison University Big Red for the first time this season. Their record stands at 6-12 (2-5 NCAC).