On Sunday afternoon, the Oglethorpe women's basketball team hosted Birmingham-Southern at Dorough Field House. The Stormy Petrels dominated early in the contest, shooting over 50 percent from the field in the first quarter, and 43 percent in the second. This allowed the Petrels to double the Panthers in points by halftime, 44-22. The Petrels held on to their impressive lead in the final two quarters, securing a 62-44 victory over their SAA rival. The victory increased the Oglethorpe winning streak out to seven games. The Petrels improved to 15-5 on the season and remain in sole possession of first place in the SAA with a 7-1 record. 

 

The Petrels had three players reach double figures in points: sophomore guard Sydney Long with 10 points and an impressive six steals, sophomore guard Taylor Dodson with 18 points to lead her team, and finally freshman forward Savannah LeGate with 14 points and 10 rebounds, recording another double-double, her 14th of the season. Junior guard Bailey Charles served as a spark plug for the Petrels on offense and defense, grabbing six rebounds, scoring seven points, dishing out four assists, and totaling three steals. 

 

The Petrels recorded an impressive 14 steals, which led to them scoring 16 points off of turnovers. The Petrels also nearly doubled the Panthers in assists, recording 11 compared to Birmingham-Southern's six. 

 

The Petrels jumped ahead 5-2 early in the contest. The Panthers were able to recapture the lead at 9-8 with 5:21 remaining in the first quarter, however, that would be the last time the Petrels would ever trail in the game. They would create an 8-0 run and never look back from there. The Petrels finished the first period leading 20-15 and shooting 53 percent from the field.

 

Dodson could barely miss in the second period, connecting on 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and 4-of-6 from the field overall, earning 13 points in just that quarter. Additionally, three different Petrels recorded two steals, including Sydney Long, Taylor Dodson and Bailey Charles. This helped the Petrels force eight turnovers and outscore the Panthers 24-7 in the second. 

 

The Petrels pushed out to their largest margin of 27 points three different times in the third quarter. The Petrel defense also pressured the Panthers, creating five steals and outrebounding the Panthers 15-8 in the third period. The Petrels entered the fourth quarter winning 59-32.

 

The Petrels only shot 1-for-13 from the field in the final period, but the first half lead proved to be too much for the Panthers to overcome. 

 

The Petrels will have their final two regular season home games next weekend on Friday and Sunday. On Friday, the Petrels will challenge the second-place Hendrix Warriors at 6 p.m. in a battle for first place in the league. On Sunday, the Petrels will take on third-place Rhodes at 1 p.m.