The Oglethorpe women's basketball team fought hard against a solid Elmhurst team Thursday in Game 1 of the Holiday Inn Express and Suites Holiday Classic, taking their intersectional opponent to deep in the second half before the game was decided. However, the visiting Bluejays eventuall prevailed in Dorough Field House, 76-61.
Down by 10 at halftime and by as many as 17 in the second half, the Stormy Petrels came back with 21-12 spurt that brought them to within eight points, 69-61, with 3:06 remaining in the game. However, a couple of Elmhurst offensive rebounds and an Oglethorpe turnover allowed the visitors to push the advantage back out and put the game away.
Rebounding was the main difference in this game, as the Bluejays outrebounded the Petrels, 49-30, including 24-11 on the offensive glass. Elmhurst also accumulated 16 assists to Oglethorpe's four over the course of the game. The Petrels outshot Elmhurst from beyond the three-point arc, 35.3-to-25 percent. In addition, they forced 15 Elmhurst turnovers while committing just 13 themselves. However, the rebounding and Elmhurst's 41.5-percent mark from the field decided the game, as the Petrels shot 36.8 percent.
The Petrels got several solid performances. Junior guard Kristen Kennebrew scored 24 points and converted 7-of-8 free-throw attempts, while sophomore forward Ciaira Hughes added 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go with seven rebounds and a pair of blocks. Junior guard Emily Buck also played well, scoring 17 points on 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
The game started off well for Elmhurst, as they jumped out to a 9-2 lead over the first three-and-a-half minutes of the contest. The Petrels fought back with a three-pointer and a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to two, but Elmhurst quickly had the lead at seven again. The Bluejays slowly pushed the lead to 10, but Oglethorpe came back with a 10-3 run to cut the Elmhurst advantage to 25-22 with 4:34 remaining in the half. From there, though, Elmhurst pushed the lead back out with an 11-2 spurt near the end of the half. They took a 38-28 lead into the halftime break. Kennebrew led the Petrels with 12 first-half points, including a 2-of-4 mark from three-point range.
The Bluejays began the second half on a run, pushing their lead out to its largest of the game. They led 50-33 with 15:36 remaining after a 9-3 mini-run. From there, the Petrels would slowly try to work their way back into the game, but Elmhurst pushed the lead back to 17 points multiple times. They still led by that margin, 57-40, with 11:24 left in the contest. However, the Petrels began to fight back, embarking on a 17-9 run over a six-minute stretch to cut the Elmhurst lead to eight points, 69-61, with 3:06 remaining in the game. From there, though, the Petrels were unable to score again. Elmhurst ran off the game's final seven points en route to the 15-point victory. Kennebrew was instrumental in keeping the Petrels in the game for most of the half, scoring 12 points on 7-of-8 free-throw shooting. Meanwhile, Hughes scored 11 of her points in the second on 5-of-8 shooting.
"They beat us on the boards tonight and that was the difference in the ball game," said Oglethorpe Head Coach Alex Richey. "I thought our effort, especially in the second half, was great. We cut into the lead twice, but they got some big rebounds and were able to put us away. We have a great opportunity to bounce back against the best team we'll have played tomorrow. I'm proud of where we are headed, though, in terms of our fight."
The 5-5 Petrels now get set to take on No. 12 Wisconsin-Oshkosh in Day 2 of the Holiday Classic. That game will tip off Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. from Dorough Field House. After that, the Petrels will welcome in undefeated No. 16 Transylvania at 2 p.m. on December 30.