ATLANTA—Malachi Dooley posted a career high 28 points on 10-for-16 shooting, and the Oglethorpe men's basketball team won big against Rhodes, 86-68, Friday night in Dorough Field House. The game was a rematch of last weekend's six-point Rhodes win in Memphis and saw the Stormy Petrels pick up their second straight victory.

Dooley added two rebounds and two assists, topping his previous career high which was 24. It was his fifth 20-point game of this season and fourth time scoring 20 or more in the last six games.

"That was another complete game tonight," said head coach Philip Ponder. "I loved our defensive energy, and we executed the game plan again. Offensively, we shot over 55%, which should win you a lot of games. I feel like we are starting to play our best basketball of the year, and if we can keep playing like this and winning games, we can get right back in the thick of things in the conference standings."

Oglethorpe started the game on a 10-2 run and never trailed. Dooley later scored four points on an 11-3 Petrel run that expanded the lead to 32-16 in the first half. Rhodes had the game at a respectable 11-point deficit at the break, but a 9-3 run early in the second half helped Oglethorpe go back ahead by 14, and a 12-2 run midway through the second half put the game on ice.

"We can't have a let up on Sunday," Ponder continued. "We need to come out with the same energy as we had tonight, and if so, I think good things will happen Sunday and down the stretch."

Game Notes

• Perry Robinson followed Dooley in the scoring column with 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting. He was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine boards.
• Logan Turner also posted a career high with 12 points alongside four rebounds.
• Eight other Petrels entered the scoring column.
• Oglethorpe moved to 11-8 (3-4 Southern Athletic Association) on the season. The Petrels are also now 35-32 all-time against the Lynx in a series that dates back to 1992.

Up Next

Oglethorpe faces Hendrix Sunday at 2 p.m. in a rematch of last week's 94-66 Oglethorpe win at Hendrix. The Stormy Petrels will be on the road the following weekend before returning home for Berry (Feb. 12) and Millsaps (Feb. 14) to close out the regular season.