The Oglethorpe women's basketball team fell to Emory and Henry 77-61 Friday on the first day of the Comfort Suites Classic in Emory, Virginia. The loss dropped the Stormy Petrels to 2-1 on the season.
The Petrels went back and forth with the homestanding Wasps early in the contest, but Emory and Henry went on a 12-6 run late in the opening quarter to push out to a 28-20 lead with 1:12 remaining in the period. They went into the second quarter with a 28-24 advantage.
The home side went on a 9-2 spurt in the second quarter, though, and built a 37-28 lead with 5:12 remaining in the half. The Petrels fought back with seven consecutive points over three minutes to make it 37-35 with 2:15 left in the half. The Wasps led 40-38 at the break.
Oglethorpe took the lead back several times early in the third quarter, but Emory and Henry shot back ahead 51-46 with 4:20 left in the third quarter. The home side led 56-50 at the end of the period.
They then outscored the visitors 18-6 over a 7:30 stretch in the fourth quarter and pulled away to the 16-point victory from there.
Junior guard Taylor Smith led Oglethorpe on the day, scoring 18 points on 8-of-16 from the field and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Nikki Reed added 11 points on 4-of-9 from the field and four assists.
Oglethorpe shot just 34.3 percent from the field overall and converted on 1 of 14 three-point attempts. They sank 57.1 percent of their free throws and were outrebounded 46-37. The Wasps also outscored the Petrels 19-7 off turnovers, forcing 18 Oglethorpe giveaways.
"We're really struggling defensively and on the boards right now," said Oglethorpe head coach Alex Richey. "It's a long season, and we have a quick turnaround game tomorrow, but we have to learn from this and adjust in order to become the team that we're capable of being."
The Petrels will be back in action from the Comfort Suites Classic Saturday at 4 p.m., when they face off against Randolph-Macon from the same venue.