ASHEVILLE, N.C. -The Stormy Petrels faced an uphill battle at Warren Wilson and took control of the second half, but Oglethorpe ultimately fell 75-74 to the Owls on Saturday.

Perry Robinson led with 35 points and 14 rebounds, his second double-double of the season, followed by Malachi Dooley with 13 points and six rebounds. Uba Ezigbo recorded 11 points, Jordan James tallied nine rebounds, and Dooley added three steals.

"We did not come out ready to play at all," said Head Coach Philip Ponder. "The first half just killed us. We made a great comeback but had just dug too big of a hole. It is hard to come back from a 20-point deficit, and we actually retook the lead, but we could not get stops in the last two minutes. This team has potential, but we just have a long, long way to go and some tough games coming up."  

The Owls managed to gain a significant lead early on, going on a nine-point run. Robinson got things rolling with a layup, but Warren Wilson quickly responded. Oglethorpe was able to go on an 11-2 run, but still ended the half trailing 43-30. 

Robinson began the second half with another layup, leading Oglethorpe in a 9-2 run in the first two minutes of the period. The Petrels slowly but surely closed the gap, with a dunk from Dooley to raise Oglethorpe 61-57. The lead passed back and forth in the final minutes, but Warren Wilson led 75-72 with just 30 seconds remaining. Robinson made one final layup in the closing seconds, but Oglethorpe could not find another scoring opportunity.

Game Notes

• This marked Oglethorpe's first loss to Warren Wilson in the 13-game history of the head-to-head series.
• Robinson recorded his second double-double of the season. He went 11-for-12 on free throws and earned 10 of his 14 rebounds on the offensive end. 
• Dooley recorded a season high for rebounds.

Up Next

The Stormy Petrels will have their home opener against Brevard on Tuesday, Nov. 28, at 7 p.m. Then, Oglethorpe will open Southern Athletic Association play by hosting Berry on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 6 p.m. After that, the Petrels will have six more home games, including the annual Jack Berkshire Classic Sponsored by Holiday Inn Express, before hitting the road again in mid-January.