SEWANEE, Tenn. - After a challenging night, the Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels fell 92-71 to the Sewanee Tigers as the Southern Athletic Association tournament draws near.
Eleven Petrels entered the scoring column, as
Uba Ezigbo led with 13 points.
Trey Harris followed with nine, while
Dylan Bennifield,
Mason Kemp, and
Brent Smith each recorded seven points. Ezigbo also recorded three steals.
Sewanee went on a 20-8 run toward the end of the first half, which set them up to overwhelm the Petrels in the second period and ultimately led to the Tigers' victory.
The Tigers began the game in their favor, but a majority of the first half was neck-and-neck. Oglethorpe's biggest lead came about midway through the period, as Harris' 3-pointer set the score at 23-20. The Tigers quickly retaliated, but a 3-pointer from
Ryan Jenei put the Petrels up 26-25, which would be the last time Oglethorpe held the lead. From there, Sewanee found the aforementioned 20-8 run and headed into halftime up 45-34.
Mason Kemp started the second half with a jumper, but the majority of the period was grim for Oglethorpe. The Petrels continued to put up a fight, but Sewanee had already established a lead that allowed them to coast through the second half. Neither team managed to score in the final two minutes, as Sewanee claimed a 92-71 victory.
"Credit goes to Sewanee," said Head Coach
Philip Ponder. "They were really good today. We just didn't defend well enough to win the game. It's as simple as that. That's the highest shooting percentage we have given up all year. You're not going to win many games when you give up 92 points."
Game Notes
- The Petrels recorded a 66.7% free-throw percentage.
- Ryan Jenei recorded six rebounds.
- Oglethorpe's record against Sewanee is now 24-20 since 2002.
- This was Oglethorpe's final road game of the regular season.
Up Next
The Stormy Petrels will return home for their final game of the regular season, hosting Berry on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 8 p.m. The Southern Athletic Association championship tournament is set to begin on Sunday, Feb. 19, with times and locations to be determined.
