The Oglethorpe men's basketball team shot 79 percent (22 for 28) from the field and 75 percent (12 for 16) from 3-point range in the first half against Millsaps Friday night en route to a 91-56 blowout victory at Dorough Field House as the two teams started Southern Athletic Association (SAA) play in earnest. The result improved the Stormy Petrels to 6-7 on the season, 1-1 in SAA play, and gave them the fifth win in their last six games. 

The Petrels led by as many as 44 points as they shot 64 percent (35 for 55) from the field for the game and 61 percent (19 for 31) from the 3-point line. The 19 made 3-pointers placed the Petrels just two shy of their single-game program record of 21, attained against Carver Bible in 2004. In addition, the Petrels passed out an impressive 28 assists as a team on their 35 made baskets.

Sophomore forward Will Perry, the reigning SAA Player of the Week, picked up where he left off with Sunday's win at Huntingdon and did it one better. He finished with a career-high 27 points on 9 of 10 from the field and a perfect 7 for 7 from long distance. He also added four assists and seven rebounds, all in just 24 minutes of play. His seven made 3-pointers placed him just two shy of Josh Burr for the single-game record, attained in the same game against Carver Bible. Perry had 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting and 5 for 5 from distance in the first half.

Perry's wasn't the only outstanding performer for the Petrels, either. Sophomore Justin Edwards passed out a game-high eight assists while scoring 11 points on 5 of 7 from the field. Junior guard George Andino scored 12 points on a perfect 4 for 4 from 3-point range, as well.

The Petrels immediately jumped on the visiting Majors en route to a 58-22 halftime lead. Millsaps did not have consecutive baskets until the 2-minute mark of the first half, allowing Oglethorpe to begin the contest on a 54-18 run. After hanging onto the 36-point advantage at the break, they pushed it even further out in the second half. 

After the Majors began the second half with back-to-back buckets, the Petrels pushed their lead to its largest of the game with a 14-2 run over a 3:10 stretch. That built their advantage to a whopping 44 points, 72-28, with 15:02 remaining. After a Millsaps mini-run, Oglethorpe again built their lead to 44 points, 82-38 with 7:42 left, with a 7-0 run later in the half over a 1:10 stretch. The home side cruised to the 35-point victory from there.

The Petrels played very well defensively, too, holding Millsaps to 32 percent (18 of 56) from the field and 29 percent (5 of 17) from 3-point range. They outscored the Majors 30-20 in the paint and 36-20 off the bench. They also won the rebounding battle 34-26. 

"That was just one of those uncanny games where everything was falling," said Head Coach Philip Ponder. "Obviously, it was great to shoot the ball so well, but what I'm really pleased about is our defense and rebounding tonight. Even if we hadn't shot the ball well tonight, our defense and rebounding was good enough to win. If you defend and rebound, you always have a chance to win, even on nights when the shots aren't falling. We have improved in so many areas. It's been fun to watch this team grow. But we have to forget about this game now and focus on Sunday against a tough Birmingham-Southern team."

The Petrels will take on the aforementioned Panthers Sunday at 3 p.m. in Dorough Field House. After that, they'll welcome Berry to the Blacktop Saturday, Jan. 16, before heading out on their first SAA road trip the following weekend.