The Oglethorpe women's basketball team made quick work of the visiting LaGrange Panthers in their season opener, defeating them 78-54 on Day 1 of the SAA/USA South Classic to start the season 1-0.

The Stormy Petrels got 16 points from junior forward Savannah LeGate on 7-of-7 from the field, and she grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, as well. Sophomore guard Nikki Reed scored 14 points on 5-of-10 from the field and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe, passing out four assists and making four steals in the process. Junior forward Sydni Donovan led the team with four blocks. 

The Petrels shot 55.8 percent from the field overall and 56.3 percent from 3-point range. Meanwhile, they held the visiting Panthers to just 35.6 percent from the field overall and 26.7 percent from beyond the arc. 

After a close game early on in which LaGrange took a 19-14 lead in the first quarter, the Petrels jumped on the Panthers for the remainder of the period. They outscored their opponent 30-5 over the remainder of the first half and took a 44-24 advantage into the halftime break. After that, they cruised to victory, outscoring their opponent 34-30 over the course of the second half to maintain their advantage throughout the second 20 minutes.

"I thought we did some things well today, especially on the offensive end," said Oglethorpe head coach Alex Richey, "but we have to still develop some cohesion defensively. It was a great first day, though, and we know we have a long way to go. We're excited to see how our new faces gel with our experienced returners. We have a great early-season matchup against Piedmont, an NCAA tournament team from last year, tomorrow. We're looking forward to the challenge."

The Petrels take on the Lions at 4 p.m. Sunday from Dorough Field House on Day 2 of the SAA/USA South Classic.