SEWANEE, Tenn. - The Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels claimed a 77-71 win over the Sewanee Tigers in their first Southern Athletic Association game on the road. Perry Robinson led with 20 points and nine rebounds as four others found a spot in the scoring column during the tough game.

Jackson Kemp and Jordan James followed with 12 points apiece, Malachi Dooley recorded 11 points, and Dylan Pumpian had 10 points. Dooley had one of the biggest shots of the night, hitting a step-back 3-pointer with under a minute to go to give the Petrels a 71-67 lead and help put the game on ice.

"That was an extremely tough game," said Head Coach Philip Ponder. "We struggled to get into an offensive rhythm until about midway through the second half. I thought the team showed some great 'stick-with-itness' coming back from a couple of double digit deficits, which this team has done multiple times this year. This team keeps finding ways to win."

James made three assists and four rebounds while J. Kemp made one assist and 10 rebounds.

The Tigers were able to open the game with a 3-pointer that went unanswered for quite a while, but Pumpian got things going for the Petels and prevented a significant score gap. Sewanee did manage to build a seven-point lead, but Pumpian and James combined to push Oglethorpe up to a 9-7 lead. A majority of the first half seemed to be anybody's game, but the Tigers took control toward the end as the Petrels headed into halftime down 38-30. 

The second half was rough for the Petrels, but this uphill battle was just a test of Oglethorpe's strength. The Petrels were down 52-44 with 12 minutes remaining, until a driving layup from J. Kemp kicked off a 10-2 run that closed the gap to 55-54.

Sewanee struggled to rebuild a decent lead, and Robinson tied things up 58-58 with a clean jump shot. Oglethorpe's golden moment was a 3-pointer from Mason Kemp, who finally brought the Petrels back into the lead at 61-58.

The Tigers did manage to reclaim the lead two more times, but only with a one-point deficit that was easily overcome both times. With just 50 seconds left in the game, Dooley sank his 3-pointer and brought Oglethorpe up to a 71-67 lead. From there, the Petrels finished the game going 6-for-6 from the free throw line to claim a 77-71 victory.  

Game Notes 

• Oglethorpe's SAA record is now 4-0, which leads the conference, and the Petrels are the only undefeated conference team left. 
• Oglethorpe's record against Sewanee is now 35-31 since 1991. 
• Perry Robinson remains No. 2 in the SAA for scoring, with 269 points.  

Up Next

The Stormy Petrels will remain on the road, facing Centre on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. The next home game will be Friday, Jan. 19, at 8 p.m. against Millsaps.