LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga.— It was all freshman Keimarya Rivera for Oglethorpe as she shined in the Story Petrels 74-55 road-opener win, with a career-high 20 points over the Scots of Covenant College. Rivera shot 9-15 from the field and 2-4 from the line while posting five assists and three rebounds.
Ellie Ronan, the sophomore from Park Ridge, Illinois, followed with 17 points on 7-9 shooting from the field and 3-6 at the line and five rebounds to push Oglethorpe's winning streak over Covenant to eight games dating back to 2013.
"Winning on the road is always tough and with the quick preparation we had going into the game, I was really impressed with our team's execution of our game plan on both ends of the floor," said Head Coach Alex Richey after the win. "I'm really enjoying the energy this group is bringing in our practice sessions and also when they compete together. We have a long way to go, but I could not be happier with how we have started the season."
Freshman and Atlanta native Gabby Hudson's 10 points over the Scots fell one point shy of her career high set in her debut against Warren Wilson earlier this week.
The Petrels kept their starting lineup from their home opener, with Hudson and Mia Geveke at guard, the freshman forward duo of Rivera and Malia Melton at the forward spots, and the lone sophomore Ellie Ronan in the paint at center.
Oglethorpe was quick to get the lead on the now 1-1 Scots, closing out the first quarter 16-9. The Petrels offense was led by Rivera with six points on 3-4 shooting from the field. The second quarter opened with scrappy play from both sides, both teams moving with a sense of urgency as the Petrels dove for loose balls and got to the free-throw line early and often. Oglethorpe would lead going into the half 34-19 thanks to an 18-5 run in which seven Petrels contributed to the scoring column.
The Scots came back in the third quarter and scored 20 points to Oglethorpe's 18, but a 22-16 fourth quarter performance sealed the victory for the Petrels as they moved to 2-0 with an optimistic look on the season.
Of the Petrels 74 points over the Scots, 19 came off of the bench. This was led by Emma Perna's eight points. The sophomore hailing from Port Orange, Florida, went 3-5 from the field and 100% from beyond the 3-point arc and posted a game-high four steals. Junior Rose Dolmovich recorded six points, three assists, and a team-high six rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.
The Petrels shot 27-49 from the field for a 55.1% field goal percentage as opposed to the Scots 34.6%, and 5-8 beyond the arc for a 62.5% 3-point field goal shooting percentage. The Petrels maintained their lead over Covenant for all but one minute and 43 seconds with the largest margin of the game being 21 points.
Game Notes
- Oglethorpe moved to 2-0
- Freshman Keimarya posted a career-high 20 points
- Oglethorpe extended its winning streak to eight games over Covenant
- 40 of the Petrel's 74 points came in the paint
- Nine Petrels made their way into the scoring column
Up Next
The Petrels are set to fly across the country as they compete in two west coast vs east coast matchups in Portland, Oregon. Oglethorpe takes on Pacific University in its first game of the trip on Friday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m. pacific time. The Petrels will face off against the Wildcats of Linfield University the following day, Saturday, Nov. 19, at 2 p.m. pacific time.
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