WMVO Good Times Great Oldies
GREENCASTLE, Ind. – The Kenyon College men’s basketball team was in prime position to take home their first North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) contest of the 2024-25 season on Saturday night against DePauw on the road, as Gefen-Bar Cohen dropped a career-high 29 points, but could not close the game out in regulation, eventually falling to the Tigers in overtime 82-79.
The second half was close the whole way, as the teams traded runs after an excellent first half from Kenyon (1-8, 0-2 NCAC) seniors Bar-Cohen and Connor Moss. DePauw (3-5, 1-1 NCAC) overcame their eleven-point first half deficit and then some in the first ten minutes of the second, rattling off a 24-13 run to tie the game at 58 at the 10 minute mark.
Down the stretch, the Tigers were just 4-of-12 from the field as the Owls clung to a two point lead at 70-68 with 31 seconds left to play. A foul after a made free throw by DePauw sent Charlie Heywood to the line, hitting both shots and putting Kenyon up 72-69 with 12 seconds remaining.
Another foul on the defensive end sent the Tigers to the line with six seconds left. The home team went one-for-two, but hauled in the rebound and nailed a layup with two seconds on the clock to send the game to overtime 72-72.
In overtime, Kenyon shot just 2-of-5 from the field, as Nick Nelson hit five of the Owls’ seven points. DePauw made several key shots in overtime, but a three pointer to go up 79-74 with 1:09 left in overtime forced the visitors into a fouling situation after a missed shot on the other end, which they could never truly overcome.
Bar-Cohen dominated the first half, pouring in 18 points and helping give the Owls the lead at halftime. He aided Kenyon in a 18-12 run to tie the game as Moss drilled three triples to set the score at 28-28 with 4:54 to play in the half.
The Owls again leaned on Bar-Cohen again to close the first 20 minutes, as the senior added seven more points to orchestrate a 17-6 run to close the first and put Kenyon up 45-34 into halftime. The squad shot 50 percent from the field in the first and dominated from beyond the arc, hitting 5-of-11 threes and adding seven steals on the other end.
Bar-Cohen’s career-high effort led the way for the Owls, and Moss hit a season-high four threes as a part of his 18-point night. Bar-Cohen also hauled in a team-high nine rebounds, while Nelson dished seven assists, while the pair contributed a team-high two blocks and four steals respectively.
The loss drop’s Kenyon’s record to 1-8 on the season and 0-2 in the conference. The Owls will now travel to New York for the New York University Holiday Tournament, tipping off on Sunday, December 29 at 3:00 pm against Williams College.