Kenyon Shoots 52 Percent During 79-64 Win Over W&J
GAMBIER, Ohio – Marcus Heasley scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half as Kenyon shot 52 percent and defeated Washington & Jefferson 79-64 in non-conference men’s basketball action Thursday evening.
The Lords (4-6) won their second-straight game, while the Presidents (4-7) suffered their second consecutive setback.
W&J scored the first points of the game, a three-pointer by freshman point guard Mike Resnik (White Oak, Pa./McKeesport), but that was the Presidents’ only lead. The Lords poured in 17 of the next 22 points to build a 17-8 advantage at the 14:04 mark.
A three-pointer by Jonathan Amador gave Kenyon its biggest lead of the first half (40-24) with 3:28 left; however, junior forward R.J. Pilato (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) scored four points in the final 2:20 to bring W&J to within 42-30 at the break.
The Lords’ lead never dipped to below double figures in the second half. W&J closed to within 50-40 on senior guard Uchenna Okocha’s (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/University School) jumper with 15:16 left, but the Presidents were unable to sustain that momentum.
Junior guard Zach Bellhy (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) posted his fifth 20-point game of the season with 22 to lead all scorers. He made 11-of-13 free throws and added three steals.
Resnik and freshman guard Doug Johnson (Greensburg, Pa./Greater Latrobe) both netted 10 points, while Okocha nearly missed out on a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. W&J was limited to 35 percent shooting (18-of-51) and was out-rebounded by a 41-34 margin.
Brian Lebowitz paced the Lords with an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double. He made 9-of-13 shots from the floor. Ikenna Nwadibia posted a team-high 19 points and nine boards. KC was victorious despite only making 7-of-19 foul shots.
Washington & Jefferson returns to the Henry Memorial Center Saturday for a 1:00 pm New Year’s Eve game with Denison. The game has been moved up an hour from its original 2:00 pm start time.
