SEWANEE, Tenn. (Feb. 5, 2017) – Led by 23 points from sophomore Bella Taylor, the Sewanee women's basketball earned a 53-50 victory over Southern Athletic Association (SAA) rival Oglethorpe, Sunday, inside Juhan Gymnasium.

Sewanee has now won three straight games for the first time all season. The Tigers are 8-13 overall, but 5-6 in SAA action. That is the best conference record since 2004-05. Sewanee finished 10-4 in league action that year.

Out of the gate, OU got off to a hot start. The Stormy Petrels hit 50 percent of their opening quarter attempts. That included a 6-for-9 effort from beyond the three-point arc.

With the Stormy Petrels ahead, 13-4 Sewanee's offense finally got rolling. A three by Bella Taylor sparked an 8-0 Sewanee run. Taylor had all eight points for the Tigers. Minutes later, Savannah Rose hit a free throw, which tied the game at 13-13. 

OU answered back when Bailey Charles hit her fourth three of the quarter.

With that, Sewanee took a nine-point lead, 33-24, into halftime.

Out of the locker room, OU forced the ball inside. Working through post Lauren Ransom, the Stormy Petrels outscored Sewanee 17-3 in the third quarter. After having to sit because of foul trouble in the third, Taylor returned to the lineup in the fourth. 

With that, the Sparta, Tenn., native scored the first eight points of the period. Those points gave Sewanee a 44-41 lead. Corey Caulder followed twith a jumper before Alexandria Brown finally stopped the Tiger momentum with a layup.

Like they did in the second quarter, Sewanee's defense stepped up. OU scored only seven points the rest of the game. On the opposite end of the floor, Sewanee's offense kept rolling. Three points by Hannah McCormack, along with two from Rose and Caulder, pushed the Tiger advantage to five with just under a minute to play.

From there, Sewanee limited OU's offense to a 1-for-4 performance.

Overall, Oglethorpe made only 27.9 percent of its attempts. By comparison, Sewanee hit 34.0 percent of its shots. Despite being outrebounded by OU 53-39, Sewanee outscored the Stormy Petrels in the paint, 22-20.

Along with Taylor, McCormack and Rose both finished with 10 points. Caulder also played well with six points and 10 rebounds. On defense, the combination of Rose and Caulder limited OU's Lauren Ransom to 10 points and 12 rebounds. 

Sewanee will head on the road for a 6:00 p.m. contest at Hendrix, Friday.

For more information on Sewanee Athletics, please visit www.SewaneeTigers.com. You can also check the Tigers out on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.