JACKSON, Miss. - The Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels defeated the Millsaps Majors 76–64 to mark the first Southern Athletic Association victory of the season, and the first of the new year.
Ten Petrels were able to score in this game, with three of them reaching double digits. Uba Ezigbo led with 16 points, followed by Mason Kemp with 12, Jordan James with 10, Jonathan Awoleye with nine and Malachi Dooley with eight.
Ryan Jenei and Dylan Bennifield led in assists, each totaling three, with Jenei also contributing a career high-tying 10 rebounds. Additionally, James recorded two blocks.
"It wasn't pretty, but it is always great to get a road win," said Head Coach Philip Ponder. "We have played all three conference games on the road, so it will be nice to be at home next weekend. There is a lot of basketball to be played, and we will keep working to get a little better each week."
Millsaps was the first to score, but Jackson Kemp quickly made a 3-pointer to get the Petrels going. From there, the Majors were able to take the lead until near the end of the first half. After being on Millsaps' heels for 10 minutes, a layup from Dooley pushed the Petrels back ahead of the Majors at 26-25 with about five minutes left in the period.
Millsaps and Oglethorpe would go back and forth trading the lead for the next few minutes until 3-pointers from Ezigbo and Mason Kemp gave the Petrels the edge needed to get ahead and stay ahead. In the final seconds, Awoleye further raised the score for the Petrels and sent Oglethorpe into halftime up 42-38.
Millsaps was also the first to score to begin the second period, but a 3-pointer from Jenei assured that the Petrels had a good lead over the Majors. Although Millsaps came close to tying the score several times throughout the period, Oglethorpe was able to stay on top for the remainder of the game.
The lead changed 11 times in the first period, compared to none in the second as free throws from Bennifield and Jackson Kemp secured a larger lead for the Petrels in the last five minutes. Ezigbo made the final basket of the game, leading the Petrels to a 76-64 victory.
As a team, Oglethorpe recorded a 92.9% (13-14) free throw percentage, and a 44.3% (27-61) field goal percentage.
Game Notes
- Oglethorpe is now 6–8 (1-2 SAA) for the season.
- Oglethorpe's record against Millsaps is now 22–9 since 2007.
- Millsaps' record for the season is now 1-11 (0-2 SAA). The last time the Majors faced the Petrels was Jan. 28, 2022, and resulted in a 75-56 victory for Oglethorpe.
Up Next
The Stormy Petrels will return home to host Centre on Friday, Jan. 13, at 8 p.m., and then Sewanee on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 3 p.m. Oglethorpe will hit the road again on Friday, Jan. 20, to take on Rhodes at 9 p.m. ET.
Multimedia
