ATLANTA -  The Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels put up a hard fight against the No. 23 nationally ranked Scots of Maryville College but came up short as Maryville pulled ahead in the end for a final score of 81-72.

On their home court in Dorough Field House, Oglethorpe was led by junior Uba Ezigbo who scored a career high 22 points. Additionally, Dimetri Chambers scored 17 points, and Lane Foster 15.

"I have zero issues with the way we fought and competed," Head Coach Philip Ponder said after the game. "I loved our energy today. We just didn't shoot the ball well, and we had a couple of miscommunications on defense that cost us. Maryville will probably move into the top 20 next week, and we were right there with them, even not playing our best. Even though we came out on the short end, I think this game will make us better moving forward. They have a really good squad."

The first half was back-and-forth, until the Scots made a 3-pointer to break a 17-17 tie and sent them on a roll for the rest of the first half. The Petrels were never more than 10 points behind as the first half ended with a score of 42-32.

Overcoming the 10-point difference, the Stormy Petrels fought back with a 14-4 run to open the second half. The game was tied once again at 46-46 as the clock read 15:41, thanks to two Ezigbo free throws.

Chambers struggled in the first half, but came back in the second half to score 15 of his 17 overall points of the game. Although Oglethorpe had a few chances to push into the lead, it was the Scots who were able to close in on the opportunity. The Petrels kept fighting hard, never falling more than five points behind until the last two and a half minutes of the game. In that time, Maryville pushed ahead with a 7-2 run.

This setback puts Oglethorpe at 4-2 for the season so far. Their next game will be another home game in Dorough Field House, on Saturday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. against the Vikings of Berry College. It will be the Southern Athletic Association opener for the Petrels.