ATLANTA – After an exciting game and an extremely late rally, the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels defeated the Centre Colonels 81-77. 

Seniors were a big key to the win as senior Ryan Jenei hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with under a minute to go, then senior Uba Ezigbo sealed the win with a steal and breakaway dunk with 20 seconds left. The Stormy Petrels finished the game on a 12-2 run.

Ten Petrels made their way into the scoring column, with three hitting double digits. Ezigbo led with 18, followed by Jordan James and Trey Harris each with 16, a season high for Harris. Jenei followed with eight points, and Jackson Kemp with seven.  

Ezigbo and Malachi Dooley each recorded three assists and three steals.

"That was an unbelievable comeback," said Head Coach Philip Ponder. "I loved the resilience our guys showed, and we made some big-time clutch shots down the stretch. We weren't getting defensive stops the way we needed to, but we came up with some big ones down the stretch when we needed them most. That was a really good win."

Jackson Kemp made sure the game began in Oglethorpe's favor, sinking a three-pointer with assistance from James. James went on to make a layup, and brought the Petrels to 5-0 against the Colonels. Even as Centre began to score and get close to overtaking Oglethorpe, the Petrels held onto their lead for the remainder of the period.

Centre did give Oglethorpe a scare in the middle of the period, closing the gap to just one point at three separate instances within two minutes. But when the score reached 25-24, a 3-pointer from Ezigbo sent the Petrels on an 8-2 run against the Colonels, putting Oglethorpe back out of Centre's reach. Although Centre made a 3-pointer in the final seconds, the Stormy Petrels headed into halftime up 41-37.  

Centre was swift to make up for mistakes in the first half, as the Colonels went on a 9-0 run against the Petrels to open the second half, launching themselves up to a 46-41 lead. James was the first Petrel to score in the period, at nearly four minutes in. The Colonels stayed in the lead for a majority of the period, and victory seemed imminent for them.

Toward the end of Centre's reign, Mason Kemp made a smooth steal and assisted in Harris' sensational dunk. With the Petrels creeping back up on the Colonels, they ultimately sent Harris slamming into the officials' table, and the Stormy Petrels were ignited. In the final two minutes, Ezigbo made layups to bring the Petrels within one point of the Colonels on two separate occasions.

With less than minute reaming on the clock, Centre stood 77-76 above the Petrels. That is, until Ezigbo and Jenei took control of the court. Jenei made his 3-pointer with an assist from Ezigbo. Then, with 20 seconds left in the game, Ezigbo made an impressive steal and booked it to the other end of the court for an even more impressive dunk. Oglethorpe then made stops on the defensive end to hold on to the 81-77 win.  

As a team, Oglethorpe recorded an 83.3% free-throw percentage, 50% field goal percentage, and a 45.8% 3-point percentage.  

Game Notes 

• Oglethorpe now posts a 7-8 (2-2 SAA) record. 
• Centre's record is now 4-9 (1-2 SAA). 
• Oglethorpe is now 10-25 against the Colonels since 2007 but currently on a six-game winning streak.  
• Brent Smith tied his season high of four points.
• Oglethorpe is now on a two-game winning streak.  

Up Next 

The Stormy Petrels will remain home and host Sewanee on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 3 p.m. The team will hit the road to continue conference play through next weekend, taking on Rhodes and then Hendrix.  

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