The Oglethorpe women's basketball team bounced back from a tough loss Friday with a 73-53 win over Randolph-Macon on Day 2 of the Comfort Suites Classic Saturday in Emory, Virginia. The Stormy Petrels outscored the Yellow Jackets 25-7 in the third quarter en route to a 20-point victory, which improved the team to 3-1 on the season.

The teams went back and forth in the first quarter, but the Petrels took a 17-14 lead into the second period. Randolph-Macon came back with consecutive baskets to take a 19-17 lead, but Oglethorpe answered with consecutive buckets of their own to push back ahead, 21-19. The teams continued to trade baskets for the remainder of the half, but Oglethorpe got a basket from junior center Sydni Donovan with four seconds left until the break to go into the locker room up 33-31.

Oglethorpe really turned it on in the third quarter, outscoring the Yellow Jackets by 18 points over the period. That turned a 33-31 edge into a 58-38 blowout with 10 minutes left in the game. The Petrels were 8-for-10 for the quarter overall and 7-for-10 from the free throw line, while they held Randolph-Macon to just 1-for-12 from the field.

The Yellow Jackets got no closer than 15 points the remainder of the game, and that came with just 51 seconds remaining. The Petrels cruised to the 20-point victory.

Donovan led the Petrels with 19 points and five blocks, going 7-for-9 from the field. Junior guard Taylor Smith added 14 points on 6-of-10 from the field and four assists. Freshman guard Amy Vazquez added nine points on 3-of-5 from the field, while sophomore guard Nikki Reed contributed eight points.

The Petrels outshot the Yellow Jackets 50.9 percent to 32.8, converting on 16 of 23 free throw attempts. Oglethorpe outscored Randolph-Macon 38-10 in the paint, and forced 25 turnovers while outscoring their opponent 29-17 off those turnovers. 

"This was a great character win," said Oglethorpe head coach Alex Richey. "We are just trying to improve each and every time we take the court. whether it's practice or a game, and build some consistency. After a tough one yesterday, I couldn't be more proud of how we responded. This was a total team win and a nice step forward. This team has a long way to go, but I'm pleased with our growth today and I hope it can continue."

The Petrels will head to Danville, Kentucky, for the Lee's Famous Recipe/Hampton Inn Classic on Friday and Saturday. They'll take on Maryville (Tennessee) Friday at 5 p.m. and Otterbein Saturday at 1 p.m.