DEMOREST, Ga. - After putting up a strong fight, the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels ultimately fell to the Piedmont Lions 96-67 in the first loss of the season.
Nine Petrels made their way into the scoring column this game, with four of them in double digits. Senior Ryan Jenei and freshman Jackson Kemp led with 13 points each, as Uba Ezigbo recorded 12 points, and Jordan James 10. Malachi Dooley led in assists, recording four this game.
"I knew with such a young group and with so many new faces that we would have some growing pains, and that was certainly the case tonight," said Head Coach Philip Ponder. "They have a veteran squad, and they just took it to us tonight. Hopefully this will be a learning experience for us. We have a really tough opponent in 48 hours, so we have to put this one behind us and get ready for Friday night."
The first half was tough for the Petrels, with the Lions racking up 10 points before Trey Harris, assisted by Dylan Bennifield, could make Oglethorpe's first basket. From there, the Lions continued to pressure the Petrels and held their lead for the remainder of the period. Despite a successful free throw and two layups from sophomore James in the final 45 seconds, the first half ended with Piedmont up 48-32.
After halftime, Oglethorpe was able to put up more of a fight against the Lions, with Bennifield making the first basket of the half. However, Piedmont maintained their energy from the first half and prevented the Petrels from coming close to taking the lead. Jenei made the final point for the Petrels with a free throw, as the Lions went on to raise the final score to 96-67.
Game Notes
- Oglethorpe is now 2–1 for the season so far.
- The Petrels are now 9–6 against Piedmont since 2009.
- Uba Ezigbo has scored in double digits in all three games so far.
- Jackson Kemp made four out of eight attempted 3-pointers.
Up Next
The Stormy Petrels will return home to face Transylvania University on Friday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m. for their first home game of the season. The Petrels will also be home on Sunday, Nov. 20, to face Warren Wilson at 1 p.m.
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