HONOLULU – Hot perimeter shooting and a big run midway through the second half helped Oglethorpe complete its Hawaii trip with a 69-64 victory over Gallaudet Monday at the Hawai'i Convention Center.
Ryan Jenei (16) and
Uba Ezigbo (14) both made the all-tournament team after leading the Stormy Petrels in game two of the Hoops in Hawaii Holiday Classic presented by Outrigger Resorts and Hotels.
Oglethorpe used a 25-12 run midway through the second half to pull away, then weathered a late run from Gallaudet to come away with the win. Among Oglethorpe's 25-12 run was an 11-2 run followed by a string of made 3-pointers that helped the Petrels pull away.
Oglethorpe led 52-42 until a 4-0 run from Gallaudet, but Ezigbo,
Griffin Cherry and Jenei had big answers with three straight made threes. Jenei sunk his from the corner to make it 61-49, capping the 25-12 run.
After Gallaudet clawed back to within two, 63-61, in the final two minutes, Ezigbo had one of the biggest plays to seal the game. Ezigbo made a steal in the open court then finished the play with a layup on the other end to put Oglethorpe ahead 66-61 with under 30 seconds left. Ezigbo and Jenei then sealed the game at the free-throw line.
Oglethorpe used a similar run in the first half to lead 28-25 at the break. This one came in the form of a 16-6 advantage over five minutes early in the first half. Five Petrels were in the scoring column in that run, including Jenei who made his first three 3-point attempts in the game. He led the Petrels with 12 at the half.
All 11 Petrels who entered the game also entered the scoring column. After Jenei and Ezigbo,
Jordan James followed with eight and
Trey Harris six. Harris' six points came on two big made 3-pointers late in the second half.
Malachi Dooley, Cherry and
Mason Kemp followed with five each.
"It wasn't pretty, but any win is a good win," said Head Coach
Philip Ponder. "We were a little better defensively today. Offensively, they run a defense where it is hard to run your stuff, and it caused us some problems in the first half. We started to get accustomed to it a little bit in the second half, and we knocked some big shots down. It's good to get a win going into the break."
Game Notes
- The Petrels shot 44 percent (11-25) from the perimeter and 44 percent (22-50) from the field.
- Nine Petrels were in the rebounding column, led by Awoleye with seven, then Ezigbo with six.
- Jenei and Dooley both tallied three assists to lead the team. Mason Kemp had a team-high three steals.
- The game featured four ties and five lead changes.
- Oglethorpe led for all but eight and a half minutes of action.
- Jonathan Awoleye matched his career high of seven rebounds, which he also recorded in Oglethorpe's first Hawaii game last Saturday.
Up next
Oglethorpe will be home the week after Christmas for two games in Dorough Field House. First will be a matchup against Brevard on Thursday, Dec. 29, at 4 p.m., then a matchup against LaGrange Friday, Dec. 30, also at 4 p.m. These two games will be part of the Jack Berkshire Classic and will round out 2022 for the Stormy Petrels.
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