The Oglethorpe women's basketball team had a tough shooting day against Hendrix Sunday in Conway, Arkansas, especially in the first half, and couldn't overcome it in a 79-58 defeat at the hands of the homestanding Warriors. The Stormy Petrels fell to 12-8 overall with the loss, 6-3 in SAA play.

The Petrels had their worst half of the season from the field in the opening 20 minutes, converting on just 7 percent (2 of 29) of their attempts. They found themselves down 37-9 at the halftime break, despite forcing 19 Hendrix turnovers in the opening half. The visitors were much improved in the second, converting at a 35 percent clip from the field over the final 20 minutes and still forcing 15 turnovers, but the damage was already done. For the game, the Petrels shot 21 percent from the field compared with 50 percent for the Warriors. Oglethorpe wound up forcing 34 Hendrix turnovers over the course of the game while committing 19 themselves. 

Sophomore guard Brooke Simpson had a solid game off the bench, scoring 11 points on 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Bailey Charles added 7 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Sophomore forward Lauren Ransom contributed 6 points.

While the Petrels were struggling to convert early, Hendrix got off to a solid start and built a 20-5 lead over the opening 6:40 of the first quarter. After three straight Oglethorpe points, the Warriors closed with consecutive baskets of their own and led 25-8 after the first quarter. 

The home team continued this run through the second quarter and into the third, outscoring the Petrels 36-11 over a nearly 20-minute stretch bridging to late in the third quarter. The Warriors led 56-19, their largest advantage of the game, with 2:07 remaining in the third. The visitors closed the third quarter nicely, though, outscoring Hendrix 14-3 over the final two minutes of the period to make it 59-33 headed to the fourth. The teams largely traded baskets in the fourth, which favored Hendrix. The Petrels did score six straight points to get within 20 late in the game, but that wasn't enough to bother the Warriors.

The Petrels will be back in action on Friday, as they hit the road again and take on Centre from Danville, Kentucky, at 6 p.m. After that, they'll continue to Sewanee, Tennessee, to take on Sewanee at 2 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. Oglethorpe remains in a tie for second place in the SAA going into the final three weeks of the regular season.