Second-Half lifts men’s basketball past Kenyon to clinch first win

The Muskingum men's basketball team snapped Kenyon's three game winning streak to pick up their first win of the season, 79-77, in Gambier, Ohio on Wednesday night.

The Basics

• Records: Muskingum (1-3 overall), Kenyon (3-1 overall)
• Location: Gambier, Ohio – Tomsich Arena

Inside the Numbers

• Jarrell Marsh collected his third straight double-double of the season as he finished with 29 points, hitting 11-of-18 from the field, snagged 11 rebounds, and added three assists.
• Marcus Dempsey poured out 18 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
• Mitch Clark notched 15 points, five rebounds, and three steals.
• Jalen Paige chipped in seven rebounds and three assists.
• As a team, the Muskies went 30-for-62 (48.4%) from the field and 7-for-22 from the arc (31.8%).
• Four Kenyon players knotted double-digit scoring.
• Ben Stern led the Lords offense with 27 points, while Ryan O'Neil tallied 13 points, Alex Laub added 11, and Carter Powell had 10 points.
• Kenyon made 48.3% of their shots (28-for-58), went 8-for-24 from the arc (33.3%), and ended the contest going 13-for-18 from the free-throw line (72.2%).

Game Highlights

The Lords jumped to a 10-2 run to start the first half, but a jumper by Cameron Miller broke the hosts run and sparked a 8-0 run to tie the contest at 10-10 with 13:36 left in the frame. The Muskies took their first lead of the half at the 7:47 mark when Jalen Paige knocked down a three-pointer. A minute later, Kenyon regained the lead and went on to hold the 37-32 advantage at intermission.

In the second half, Kenyon led by as-much-as 11 points with 10:42 remaining. The Muskies spurted a 15-to-4 run over the course of the next four minutes to get within one, 67-66. A minute later, Clark drilled a three-pointer to put the Muskies on top, 72-71. With 1:06 left, Kenyon's Ben Stern made a pair of free throws and a jumper to put the Lords ahead, 75-74, forcing the Muskies to call a timeout. After the timeout, Dempsey came out and hit a clutch jumper, to put the Muskies back in the lead. A made free throw by Paige and two by Dempsey helped the Muskies record their first victory of the season, 79-77.

Up Next

• Muskingum will continue playing on the road as they travel to John Carroll on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and will mark the Ohio Athletic Conference opener for both teams.