SEWANEE, Tenn. - The Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels saw the end of their 2022-2023 season after a tough loss to the Sewanee Tigers in the Southern Athletic Association quarterfinals.  

Seven Petrels made their way into the scoring column as Uba Ezigbo led with 20 points, followed by Jackson Kemp with 17, Jordan James with 16, and Dylan Bennifield with seven points. James recorded a career high of three assists. 

Oglethorpe led by three at the half and held that lead until near the 13-minute mark of the second half before Sewanee took off in the final 13 minutes.

"I thought we played well for the first 27 minutes or so, and led most of the way, but we just could not get stops the last 13 minutes or so," said Head Coach Philip Ponder. "The defensive end has been our Achilles heel all year, and that was our undoing today. We are going to miss our three seniors, but we have a great young group with a bright future."

Sewanee began the game with the lead, until Oglethorpe went on an 8-0 run that allowed the Petrels to stay ahead for most of the period. The Tigers were able to tie the score several times, but only managed to take the lead again once. With just three minutes left in the half, Sewanee pulled ahead to 35-33. Bennifield tied things up again with a clean layup, and Jackson Kemp sank a 3-pointer in the last minute as the Petrels led 38-35 heading into halftime.  

Things were looking good for Oglethorpe in the beginning of the second half, but after six minutes Sewanee went on a 9-0 run to regain the lead at 57-52. The Petrels fought to catch back up, but the Tigers held the upper hand for the remainder of the game. Mason Kemp ended the game with a layup, but Oglethorpe ultimately fell 87-74.   

Game Notes 

• The Petrels defeated Sewanee 78-65 in last season's quarterfinals. 
• Oglethorpe fell to Sewanee twice during this year's regular season. 
• As a team, Oglethorpe recorded a 78.6% free-throw percentage.  
• James and Ezigbo each recorded two steals.