The Oglethorpe women's basketball team stayed in the game for 40 minutes Friday night against a Centre team that came in undefeated in SAA play, but the visiting Colonels prevailed in the end, 60-52, at Dorough Field House.

The game started with Centre running out to an 8-2 lead, but the Stormy Petrels responded with a 9-0 run of their own over a 3:20 period to take an 11-8 lead. The two teams traded baskets for much of the rest of the first half, but Oglethorpe built a 23-19 advantage with 5:13 remaining in the half. However, the Petrels would not score again in the period and the Colonels finished the stanza on a 9-0 run to take a 28-23 lead into the break.

Sophomore guard Emily Buck scored nine points on 4-of-7 shooting in the half, but the Petrels shot 39 percent to Centre's 42. Oglethorpe did make 50 percent of their 3-pointers in the period while Centre made just 29 percent.

In the second half, the Petrels took just 40 seconds to come back and tie the game, as a layup from freshman guard Ciara Hughes made the score 28-28. Centre started making their big move of the game, though, going on an 11-2 run over the next 5:30, then backing that up with a 7-0 run a couple minutes later. They took a 48-35 lead, their largest of the game, with 10:30 left in the contest. The Petrels mounted a big rally, though, rolling off a 14-2 run of their own to suddenly draw to within a single point. Sophomore forward Ali Bleckley hit a 3-pointer to make the score 50-49 with 4:10 remaining. Oglethorpe ran out of gas after that, though, as the Colonels put the game away with a 7-0 run over the next three minutes.

In the second half, Buck added 10 points on 2-of-5 field-goal shooting and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, while Bleckley grabbed five rebounds. The Petrels were outshot 39-to-35 percent for the period and were outrebounded 22-15. The Colonels outscored the Petrels 32-29 in the second half.

For the game, Centre shot 41 percent from the field, 27 percent from long range, and 68 percent from the free-throw line while the Petrels shot 37 percent from the field, 46 percent from long range, and 82 percent from the line. The two teams combined for 36 turnovers, but Centre outscored Oglethorpe 16-9 off those miscues.

Buck finished with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 6-of-6 from the line. Hughes scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and grabbed five rebounds while Bleckley finished with nine points and seven boards.

The Petrels drop to 4-12 on the season, 2-3 in SAA competition. After the rest of the day's SAA results, Oglethorpe drops to a tie for fifth place in the league standings. They'll have a quick turnaround, as they welcome Sewanee in to Dorough Field House at 6 p.m. Saturday evening.