The Oglethorpe men's basketball team started 2016 on a good note Sunday afternoon, coming back from a 7-point deficit in the second half to defeat the homestanding Huntingdon Hawks in Montgomery, Alabama, 80-71. The Stormy Petrels used a 32-15 stretch over the latter portion of the half to turn the game in their favor and improve to 5-7 on the season, picking up their first road victory in the process. The squad has now won four of their last five games headed into SAA play.
The Petrels led for the vast majority of the first half, leading up to a 37-32 halftime advantage. However, an 8-0 run over the opening minute of the second allowed Huntingdon to surge into the lead. They outscored the Petrels 22-10 over the opening 7:30 of the half to build their 7-point, second-half lead.
Oglethorpe got an excellent performance from junior guard Connor Smith, who scored 22 points on 8 of 13 from the floor and 5 of 9 from 3-point range. He also recorded five steals. Meanwhile, sophomore guard Justin Edwards recorded his first career double-double and wound up just two assists short of a triple-double. He scored 11 points on 7-of-9 free throw shooting, grabbed 10 rebounds and passed out eight assists. Sophomore forward Will Perry added 20 points on 8 of 13 from the field, 4 of 5 from 3-point range and three assists.
Down 54-47 with 12:38 remaining, the Petrels embarked on a 9-1 run over the next 3:30, culminating in a Perry 3-pointer with 8:52 to go which gave Oglethorpe a 56-55 lead. After Huntingdon briefly retook a 2-point lead, the Petrels pushed out on another run. They took control of the game with a 21-9 stretch over the next 6:34, building a 79-69 lead with 56 seconds remaining. From there, they cruised to the non-conference victory.
The second half did not start as well for the Petrels. Leading 37-32 at the halftime break, they saw the Hawks score eight points in a row to begin the half and go on a 22-10 run to push their advantage to seven points, its largest of the game, with 12:38 remaining. However, Oglethorpe went on their final push to move the game back in their favor.
The Petrels controlled the game for most of the first half. Down 14-12 early on, they went on an 11-1 run over 5:13 to build a 23-15 advantage with 8:59 remaining in the half. The Hawks sliced their deficit to four points, but the Petrels pushed it back out to a 7-point lead quickly. Huntingdon again scored a couple baskets in a row to get back to within five, but Oglethorpe extended their advantage to eight points, 31-23, with 5:10 remaining. The two teams traded baskets for the remainder of the half, leading to Oglethorpe's 5-point halftime lead.
The Petrels shot 47 percent from the floor overall and 47 percent from long distance for the game. They made 8 of 12 three-point shots in the second half. Huntingdon finished at 41 percent from the floor and 25 percent from long range. The Petrels shot 75 percent from the charity stripe to the Hawks' 44 percent. Huntingdon outrebounded Oglethorpe 20-10 on the offensive glass and enjoyed a 52-24 advantage in the paint, but the Petrels' long-range shooting offset that in the second half.
"This was a really good win, perhaps our best of the season," said Head Coach Philip Ponder. "That was a talented and athletic squad we faced. I loved how we battled back from being seven down midway through the second half. We got good contributions from a lot of guys. This team just continues to improve. It may be the most improved team from the start of a season that I've ever had, and we still have further room to improve. We still have a ways to go, but I like the direction we are heading."
The Petrels now enter the heart of SAA play, as they'll welcome Millsaps and Birmingham-Southern to Dorough Field House next weekend. They'll take on Millsaps Friday at 8 p.m. before going against Birmingham-Southern Sunday at 3 p.m.