OBERLIN – The Kenyon Ladies had to hold off Oberlin College in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night as they earned a 71-61 North Coast Athletic Conference victory at Philips Gymnasium.
Kenyon improved to 13-3 and 6-1 in the conference and handed Oberlin its first NCAC loss of the season (8-5; 6-1 NCAC).
The Ladies’ backcourt was dominant, scoring 57 of the team’s points. Paige Matijasich tallied a game-high 20 points while Jessica Gerber added 16. Additionally, Ellie Schaub scored a season-high 13 points and Sharon Hull added 8.
As a unit, Kenyon had a season-high 23 assists and hit 28-of-62 (45.2 percent) from the field. The Ladies also shot 45.5 percent from 3-point land (10-22).
Well before a pressure-packed fourth quarter, Kenyon had to weather a fast start by Oberlin.
A Gerber jumper at the 4:56 mark had Kenyon trailing 9-8, but the Yeowomen followed with a 6-0 stretch which was started on an Abby Andrews jumper. The Ladies were able to shake off the seven-point deficit on their next four possessions as they scored each time including a trio of three-balls from Matijasich and Schaub moving the scoreboard to 19-17 Kenyon.
In the second, Kenyon held a 26-25 advantage before pulling ahead by double digits. A 12-2 run from 3:45 to 36 seconds left pushed the visitors up 38-27. Gerber scored six of those points on a pair of three-point makes. By halftime, the Ladies led 38-30.
Oberlin scored the first bucket after the break, bringing the score to 38-32. However, that was the closest they’d get in the period. Kenyon led by as many as 15 points on three different occasions with its last coming at 2:45 after a Schaub layup (55-40).
At the start of the fourth, Lane Davis converted a layup pushing Kenyon ahead 57-40, its biggest lead. However, over the next 4:42, the Yeowomen fought back with a massive 17-2 rally. Alex Stipano buried four 3-pointers, Oberlin’s first makes from downtown in the game, and got the score to within 59-57 at the 4:29 mark. In that span, the Ladies shot 1-for-5 and turned it over three times.
Holding on to a two-point lead, Kenyon got a much-needed trey from Gerber after a pair of offensive rebounds on its next possession. The Ladies got a stop and Matijasich nailed a three-ball to push the margin back to 65-57. Oberlin never threatened again.
After playing on the road the last five games, Kenyon will return to Tomsich Arena on Saturday, Jan. 13 for a 2 p.m. conference contest against Hiram College.
