Witt Men’s Basketball Drops Heartbreaker to Kenyon, 66-64, in Final Seconds

SPRINGFIELD, OH – A last-second layup by freshman Jackson Burke allowed Kenyon to capture a 66-64 victory over Wittenberg in men's basketball Wednesday night at Pam Evans Smith Arena, part of the Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex. 

Both teams were stuck on 64 with just under two minutes to play in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) matchup. Missed field goals on both sides sent this one down to the wire. The Owls gained possession and with just six seconds remaining Gefen Bar-Cohen missed a layup only to have teammate Burke there for the defensive board and put it back in as time ran out on Wittenberg. 

It was a close game through and through with eight ties and eight lead changes. With the loss, the Tigers drop their third in a row and fall to 8-14 overall and 4-9 in the NCAC. Kenyon improves to 7-16 overall and 5-9 in the conference.

Team Leaders

• Cameron Harrison (Eaton, OH / National Trail) led the Tigers in scoring with 17 points.
• Eddie Brown (Lewis Center, OH / Olentangy Orange) added 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
• Sam Miller (Ashville, OH / Teays Valley) tossed in 10 points.
• Dawson Scott (New Castle, IN / New Castle) had a team-high six rebounds and added two assists and a steal.

 Team Comparison

• Team stats were close with Kenyon going 25-for-53 (47.2%) from the field and Witt going 25-for-54 (46.3%)
• Witt was eight-for-17 from three-point range while Kenyon was five-for-12. However, the Owls were 11-for-13 in free throws to the Tigers' six-for-14.
• Kenyon edged Witt in rebounds, 27-26.
• Wittenberg had 14 points off turnovers to Kenyon's 10. The Tigers also led in points from the bench, 19-11.
• Kenyon's largest lead was of 13. Witt led by six at one point.

 The Tigers' next game is at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15 at Oberlin.