Kenyon College picked up its first North Coast Athletic Conference victory of the season following a 77-74 win over Denison on Saturday at Tomsich Arena.

The Big Red led by as many as 14 points in the opening half before an 18-7 Kenyon run over the final 6:03 trimmed the deficit to 41-38 as the two squads enter the locker room.  The second period was a see saw battle that saw seven ties and 11 lead changes over the 20 minute span.  Tied at 64-64, the Lords scored on back-to-back possessions to go up by four.  Over the final two minutes of play, the home team went 5-for-6 at the charity stripe to secure the three-point win.

Denison shot 48 percent (27-for-56) from the floor, but only a 58 percent clip (14-for-24) from the foul line, while the Lords hit 42 percent from the field and knocked down 25-of-30 attempts (83 percent) at the charity stripe.  Kenyon outrebounded DU 35-32, while the Big Red outscored the Lords in the paint (30-22).

Junior Dimonde Hale posted a game-high 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Alex Longi had 12 tallies, four assists and two steals.  Jon Akpapunam chipped in 10 points on 4-of-8 from the floor in 17 minutes off the bench.

Kenyon saw four players score in double figures.  Jonathan Amador led the squad with 18 points, including 4-of-5 from behind the arc, in 25 minutes off the bench.  Anthony Chun added 16 points, while Ikenna Nwadibia chipped in 10.  Brian Lebowitz logged a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds to go along with five blocks.

The loss drops the Big Red to 5-8 overall and 2-2 in the NCAC, while the Lords improve to 7-6 on the year and 1-3 in league play.  Denison returns to action on Wednesday (Jan. 11) when they host NCAC rival Ohio Wesleyan at 8 p.m.  A live video stream of the game will be provided by the Denison Sports Network.