ATLANTA – Despite a small resurgence in the second period, the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels fell 76-65 to the Rhodes Lynx after a tough game in Dorough Field House.

Nine Petrels found their way into the scoring column, three of them reaching double digits. Senior Ryan Jenei led with 17 points, followed by Jackson Kemp with 14, Brent Smith with 10, Jordan James with seven and Mason Kemp with six.

Smith led in assists, recording a season high of four. Smith and Jackson Kemp each recorded two steals.

As a team, the Petrels recorded a 55.2% free-throw percentage and a 41.5% field goal percentage.

"We just dug ourselves too big of a hole again," said Head Coach Philip Ponder after the game. "We missed a lot of shots that we normally make in the first half, and we struggled from the free throw line all night. If we shoot the way we normally do from the free throw line, it's a totally different ballgame. That being said, we made an unbelievable comeback in the second half to retake the lead, but sometimes you exert so much energy coming back, that you run out of steam."

Rhodes was the first to score, but the Stormy Petrels were not far behind. Unfortunately, the Lynx would hold the upper hand for the entire first period. A layup from Malachi Dooley brought Oglethorpe to one point shy of overtaking Rhodes, standing 11-10 with 14 minutes remaining. But the Lynx were able to pull away once again, and after one final layup from Jenei, Oglethorpe headed into halftime down 37-23.  

The second period seemed a lot brighter for Oglethorpe, beginning with a 3-pointer from Jenei. The Petrels were able to go on a 15-2 run against the Lynx, with a layup from Jackson Kemp tying the score at 41-41. Rhodes regained the lead on two free throws, until James retied the score at 43-43. This time, Oglethorpe claimed the lead thanks to a three-pointer from Mason Kemp. Unfortunately, Rhodes quickly regained the upper hand and the Petrels were back to fighting an uphill battle.  

The final minutes were grim, with few baskets made on either side as Rhodes held onto their lead with an iron grip. Despite a late layup from Dylan Bennifield, the Stormy Petrels ultimately fell 76-65 to the Rhodes Lynx.

"Something that this team has done really well this year is come back from a tough loss to get a bounce-back win the next day or two days later," Ponder added. "We've done that several times this year, and we'll look to do that again this Sunday.

Game Notes

• Oglethorpe's record is now 8-11 (3-5 SAA) 
• Rhodes' record is now 12-5 (5-3 SAA) 
• Brent Smith recorded a career high of five rebounds. 

 Up Next 

The Stormy Petrels will remain home to face Hendrix on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m. The string of home games will continue as Oglethorpe hosts Birmingham Southern on Friday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m. and Millsaps on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 3 p.m.