ATLANTA – After a brief break for final exams, Oglethorpe returned to the blacktop to face crosstown rival Emory, but despite a strong first half, the Stormy Petrels fell 98-78 to the Eagles. Sophomore Jordan James led with a career high of 20 points and eight rebounds.

Dylan Pumpian was close behind James with 16 points and four rebounds, both season highs for the junior transfer. Perry Robinson made 11 points and seven rebounds, Uba Ezigbo tallied nine points, and Mark Asare had a season high of seven points.

"It was a tale of two halves," said head coach Philip Ponder. "We were fighting big-time foul trouble in the first half, but I thought we had great energy and went toe to toe with them. In the second half, we just had some careless turnovers that led to runouts, and we struggled to make shots and didn't find their shooters well enough."

The Eagles claimed the first five points of the game, but a jumper from Ezigbo and a smooth 3-pointer from Pumpian saw the first tie of the game. Pumpian and Dooley combined for the next tie at 9-9 just four minutes into the game. The lead passed back and forth a total of five times in the first period, and usually landed with the Eagles, but a 10-2 run gave the Petrels a 29-22 lead with seven minutes remaining.

Emory struggled to catch back up, but free throws gave them the 33-33 tie, the last time the game would see even ground. Thankfully, the Petrels kept it close in the first period, heading into halftime trailing only 43-40.

However, Emory ran away with the second half. The Stormy Petrels fought to reclaim the court, but the game resulted in a 98-78 loss. 

"That's the best team we'll play all year," Ponder continued. "They have the number one offense in the nation, and we showed we can play with them. Now we just need to regroup and bounce back with a win on Saturday."

Game Notes 

• Asare and Christian Williams recorded a season high number of rebounds. 
• Malachi Dooley made a season high number of assists. 
• Emory has seen NCAA tournament appearances for the past 10 years in a row, the longest active streak in NCAA Division III.  

Up Next 

The Stormy Petrels will remain home to face Covenant on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 2 p.m. Before the new year arrives, Oglethorpe will also host the Jack Berkshire Classic on Friday-Saturday, Dec. 29-30, as the Petrels take on Bard and Regis respectively.