The Kenyon women’s basketball team continued its season over winter break, playing five games and going 2-3. Then, the Owls lost on the road at No. 12 Ohio Wesleyan University on Wednesday night, bringing their overall record to 5-10 (0-4 NCAC).

Kenyon traveled south to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to compete in a two-game tournament, the Puerto Rico Clasico. In the opening contest on Dec. 28, Kenyon took on Wilkes College (Pa.). The game started as a defensive battle, with Kenyon not scoring its first points until over five minutes into the match. The Colonels took control early on, but the Owls stayed close, with Alyssa Gest ’26 hitting a 3-pointer to trim Wilkes’ advantage to four right before the end of the opening quarter.

Kenyon jumped out to a quick start in the second period, as Grace Murphy ’26 nailed a contested 3-pointer to get within a point of the Colonels. Just a couple minutes later, though, Wilkes would go on a run to take a 10-point lead into halftime. The third quarter saw the Colonels’ lead balloon to as much as 17, and the Owls had no answers to Wilkes’ offense.

Kenyon did not quit despite the large deficit, and a pair of baskets by Alyssa Horsley ’28, followed by a strong finish from Susannah Zimmerman ’28, brought the Owls within 11. That was all that Kenyon could muster, though, and Wilkes held on for a 72-62 victory.

The next day, Kenyon returned to the court for a matchup with King’s College (Pa.). The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair with both teams trading blows. The Owls found some momentum at the end of the period, as Kiana Mollabashy ’28 drilled a 3-pointer off a Monarchs turnover to go up by five. In the second quarter, King’s went on a run, including taking a five-point lead of its own. However, Zimmerman hit a buzzer-beater jump shot to cut the lead to three going into the break. 

The third quarter saw the Monarchs extend their lead, but Kenyon did not quit. A layup by Rae Oberster ’29 trimmed the deficit to just a single point with less than two minutes to play in the period. The Owls then capitalized on their newfound momentum and Eva Winston ’28 knocked down a 3-pointer to put Kenyon up two going into the fourth.

The final quarter was the Owls’ best one yet. Up 48-47, Kenyon proceeded to go on an 18-5 run, taking control of the game for good. The scoring surge was a team effort, with baskets coming from Katherine Organ ’28, Antonia Marzini ’29, Mollabashy, Oberster and Zimmerman as Kenyon closed the trip with a victory.

Back in Ohio, Kenyon continued NCAC play with a trip to No. 20 Denison University. The Owls struggled against the Big Red from start to finish, going down as much as 14 in the first quarter and 25 in the first half en route to an 85-54 defeat. Zimmerman led the Owls with 13 points in the loss and Gest chipped in 10 off the bench.

Kenyon continued its road trip with a visit to Earlham College (Ind.). The game was close from start to finish, and Gest hit a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter in a low-scoring affair. Gest then hit her third triple of the contest to begin the second period, tying the score. The bucket kickstarted a 13-0 Kenyon run to go up 23-13, headlined by 3-pointers from Abby Burdette ’29 and Mollabashy. The Quakers did not back down, however, and Earlham cut the lead to seven by halftime.

After some defensive adjustments, the Quakers’ defense completely shut the Owls down in the third quarter; Kenyon scored just seven points in the period. Despite the offensive drought, the Owls retained a one-point lead at the end of the quarter. 

Both teams traded baskets in the final period of play and with just three seconds to go, Earlham sank a free throw to go up a point after a costly foul by Anissa Hardy ’26. Staring defeat in the face, Zimmerman rushed up the court and buried a game-winning jumper as time expired, and Kenyon escaped with the narrowest of wins. 

The thrill of victory did not last long, as the Owls faced a tall task in their return to Gambier: new conference foe No. 11 John Carroll University. Much like the Denison matchup, the game was extremely one-sided, as Kenyon fell 80-44. In the loss, Hardy and Burdette led the way with 9 points each.

After returning to campus, the Owls hit the road to take on No. 12 Ohio Wesleyan University. The game started on a high note for Kenyon, as the Owls secured an early 6-4 lead. However, this was Kenyon’s only lead of the day, as the Battling Bishops’ offense took full control of the court. Despite the Owls’ best efforts, Ohio Wesleyan held a commanding 41-30 lead after the first two quarters of the matchup.

The third quarter was much of the same for the Battling Bishops, who built on their advantage from the first half. The point differential was too much for the Owls to overcome and they fell to Ohio Wesleyan 83-55.

Looking ahead, the Owls will travel to DePauw University on Saturday, looking to defeat the Tigers for the first time since 2017. Kenyon is still in search of its first conference victory of the season.