The Oglethorpe women's basketball team suffered a disappointing loss Friday night in Conway, Arkansas, as the homestanding Hendrix Warriors knocked down a shot with eight seconds remaining to go ahead for the final time in the game. A Stormy Petrel miss at the buzzer on the other end secured the 63-62 win for Hendrix in Oglethorpe's first SAA road contest of the season.

A jumper from freshman center Savannah LeGate gave the Petrels a 61-55 lead with 3:20 remaining in the contest, a mark which served as the largest lead of the game for either team. The Warriors whittled that advantage down to a single point with 1:40 remaining on the clock, though. Each team had several chances from there, but the score remained 62-61 until Leah Smith of Hendrix hit what turned out to be the game-winner with eight seconds on the clock. Oglethorpe junior forward Lauren Ransom missed a shot at the buzzer on the other end which would have won the game for the Petrels.

The Petrels led 32-28 at the break and held a 40-35 advantage a few minutes into the third quarter, but Hendrix responded with a 13-4 run over the next five minutes and pushed themselves into the lead, 48-44, with just under two minutes left in the quarter. The Petrels quickly scored eight points in a row to vault back into the lead, though, holding a 52-48 edge headed into the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter was tight, with the Petrels leading most of the way, but never building an advantage of more than one possession until the mini-run that would put them up six with 3:20 left.

The Petrels maintained a tight advantage throughout the majority of the first half, as well. They built their largest lead of the half with their final basket of the second quarter, pushing their lead out to four points.

LeGate finished the game with 22 points for the Petrels on 8-of-16 shooting. She also collected 14 rebounds and added a couple blocks. Ransom scored 11 points and made three steals, while sophomore guard Sydney Long added 11 points of her own on 2-for-4 from the field and 6-for-7 from the free throw line. She passed out a pair of assists, as well. 

For the game, the Petrels outrebounded the Warriors 45-33, including a 20-14 margin in offensive rebounding. They also dominated the game in the paint, accruing a 30-16 scoring margin in that regard. However, Hendrix outscored the Petrels 18-8 off turnovers and 29-9 off the bench.

"This one really stings," said Oglethorpe head coach Alex Richey. "To have a six-point lead late like we did and to give it up is really tough. Credit to Hendrix for making some big plays down the stretch, though. We have zero time to hang our heads and we just have to keep grinding. I love our team and I know that losses like this will only make us stronger as we learn and grow from them."

The Petrels continue to Memphis, Tennessee, on Sunday to take on Rhodes at 2 p.m. Eastern. After that, they'll return home to Dorough Field House to host Sewanee and Centre next weekend.