The Oglethorpe men's basketball team played an even game with the homestanding Berry Vikings through the 6:23 mark of the second half in the SAA opener for both teams Friday night in Mount Berry, Georgia, but a late 8-0 run pushed the Vikings ahead of the Stormy Petrels for good and spurred them to a 72-68 victory. The result drops the Petrels to 1-5 on the season, 0-1 in SAA play.

With the game tied 58-58 at that point, Berry got four consecutive baskets over the next 1:36, building a 66-58 lead with 4:47. The Petrels were behind the eight-ball from that point, but they did fight back to make it a one-possession game. A 7-1 run over the next 4:40 brought the Berry lead down to 67-65 with 2:03 remaining. The Petrels had two chances to tie or take the lead down the stretch, but turned the ball over on the first possession and missed a shot on the second. After that, the Vikings were able to put the game away at the free throw line over the final 20 seconds.

Oglethorpe led the majority of the game and built leads in each half of play. They led 39-38 at the break and, after a brief period of trading baskets to start the second half, ran off seven consecutive points to build a 50-44 advantage with 14:42 left in the game. Berry began to cut the lead down, though, going on a 14-5 run to push into a 58-55 lead with 6:49 to go before the Petrels evened the game again. The overall Berry run from the 14:42 mark of the second half until the 4:47 mark totaled 22-8.

In the first half, the Petrels moved out to an 11-7 lead early before the teams started trading mini-runs. A Berry spurt put them up 17-16 with 10:08 left before the Petrels responded again. The lead continued to go back and forth until the 6:41 mark, when the Petrels began an 11-3 stretch to build a 34-26 lead, their largest of the game, with 2:56 left in the half. Berry answered back before the break, though, ending the half on a 7-0 run.

The Petrels were led by junior George Andino, who scored a career-high 16 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting while adding three assists and three steals. Fellow junior guard Connor Smith added 15 points of own despite foul trouble. He went 5-of-9 from three-point range and passed out a couple assists, as well. Sophomore guard Justin Edwards finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 from the free throw line, grabbed six rebounds and recorded four steals.

The game featured seven ties and 11 lead changes between the two teams. The Petrels outshot Berry 41-to-35 percent, including 36-to-13 percent from beyond the arc, but the Vikings shot 35 free throws and made 24 of them. The Petrels, meanwhile, shot just nine and made six. Berry dominated the glass, as well, outrebounding the Petrels 52-35 with a 22-8 edge on the offensive boards. They outscored the Petrels 40-14 in the paint and 21-8 on second-chance points. 

The Petrels will next be in action against crosstown rival Emory Tuesday at 7 p.m. from Dorough Field House. After that, they'll take a break for exams before hosting the Holiday Inn Express and Suites Tournament Dec. 20-21 at Dorough Field House. The tournament will feature Mount St. Vincent, Huntingdon and Regis.