BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — After winning seven of the last 10 contests against the Panthers of Birmingham Southern College, the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels suffered an 83-67 loss in their first of two Southern Athletic Association road games this weekend.
The contest was full of runs from either team as the Petrels closely trailed the Panthers until late in the fourth quarter. First-quarter action was neck and neck as the Petrels went out to an early 8-0 lead, though the opening quarter came to a close with the Panthers scoring 20 and the Petrels finishing behind by two with 18 of their own first-quarter points.
Oglethorpe stayed consistent, dropping another 18 points in the second, though Birmingham Southern's 23 points were enough to head into the half with a 43-36 lead over the Petrels.Â
The second half would not prove to be as offensively exciting as the first. In the third, the Stormy Petrels added another 16 points, a single point shy of BSC's 17 third-quarter points. The Panthers led the Petrels 60-52 going into the fourth. In the final quarter of the contest, a layup from sophomore Emma Perna put the Petrels within single digits of the Panthers, but ultimately the hosts would go on to defeat the Petrels by a margin of 83-67.
Freshman Keimarya Rivera's game-high 24 points led the scoring for both teams. This was the forward from Canton, Georgia's, fourth 20-point performance on the season. Rivera, Malia Melton and Perna all recorded a team-high six rebounds apiece.
Carly Henderson, a junior guard from Woodstock, Georgia, dropped nine points, shooting 75% from the field and 100% from the free-throw stripe. Freshman Mahkayla Premo led the Petrels with four assists in her debut with Oglethorpe.
Game Notes
- The Petrels moved to 5-6 on the season
- This was Rivera's fourth 20+ point performance
- The Petrels moved to 0-2 in SAA play
Up Next
The Story Petrels are flying right back into Southern Athletic Association play, traveling over one more state to the west to Mississippi as Oglethorpe takes on the host Majors of Millsaps College. Tip-off between the Petrels and the Majors is set for Sunday, Jan. 8, at 2 p.m. EST.
