The Oglethorpe men's basketball team returned to play Sunday afternoon after a two-week hiatus due to COVID-19 protocols and did so in winning fashion, running out to a 16-point second-half lead before having to fight off a Sewanee comeback attempt and hang on for an 89-80 victory. The Stormy Petrels improved to 6-1 with the win, which served as a non-conference game with Sewanee not participating in full SAA play during the 2020-21 season per campus coronavirus protocols.
The Petrels held an arm's length advantage for most of the first half, slowly pushing their lead out to 44-32 at the halftime break. In the second half, they used an 8-1 spurt over a minute to take a 58-42 lead, their largest of the game, with 14:56 on the clock. The Petrels still led 66-52 after a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Jack Murrah with 9:12 remaining, but the homestanding Tigers began a comeback attempt, going on a 16-4 run over the next four minutes to pull to within just 2 points, 70-68, at the 4:55 mark. The Petrels soon restored order, however, outscoring Sewanee 9-2 over a two-minute stretch to rebuild their lead to 79-70 at the 2:26 mark. Oglethorpe held off the home side from there, easing to a 9-point victory in their return to play.
Senior guard Dimetri Chambers led the way for the visitors, scoring 33 points and grabbing three steals. He was helped by a perfect 6-for-6 afternoon at the free throw line. Fellow senior guard Lane Foster contributed 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while sophomore forward Uba Ezigbo added 13 points on 6-of-10 from the field to go with six rebounds.
The Petrels shot 48.5 percent from the field, including a 35.7 percent mark from the 3-point line, and 88.2 percent from the charity stripe. Sewanee outrebounded Oglethorpe 41-34 and outscored them 27-9 off the bench, but the Petrels enjoyed an 80-53 advantage by their starters and an 11-0 advantage off the fast break.
"It was just great to be back on the court," said Oglethorpe head coach Philip Ponder. "After a long layoff, we came out a little rusty, but then settled in. We were close to pulling away, but credit to Sewanee, as they got hot and kept fighting and made it a close game late. I thought we kept our composure and executed well late to pull out the win. We are just happy for every opportunity to compete."