The Oglethorpe women's basketball team matched the best 17-game start in program history Friday night at Dorough Field House, pulling away from the visiting Millsaps Majors in the fourth quarter and winning 66-40. The win improved the Stormy Petrels to 16-1, matching the mark set by the 2008-09 squad. The Petrels, ranked 23rd in the D3hoops.com poll and 12th in the coaches poll, also moved to a perfect 6-0 in SAA play.
The Petrels held an arm's length lead most of the game, but the Majors remained within striking distance down just 28-20 at the break. The visitors cut that advantage to 32-26 with 8:25 left in the third quarter, then again cut it to a 6-point game, 39-33, with 3:25 remaining in the period. The home side finished the quarter with a layup from freshman guard Amy Vazquez and a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Nikki Reed, extending their advantage to 44-33 with 10 minutes to go. That brief run at the end of the third transferred over into the fourth, as Oglethorpe started the period on a 20-2 run over the opening 7:45 (a 25-2 run in all counting the two baskets at the end of the third) and completely put the game out of reach, leading 64-35 with 2:15 remaining.
After Millsaps took an early 2-point lead, the Petrels responded by reeling off a 10-2 run to take flip it to their advantage, 13-7, at the 5:29 mark of the first quarter. They led 17-11 at the quarter break, then quickly took their largest lead of the game to that point, 19-11, early in the second. Millsaps used 5 straight points to cut it to 19-16, but Oglethorpe pulled back ahead by 8 points late in the first half.
Oglethorpe held the Majors to just 29.3 percent from the field and 12 made baskets. Oglethorpe shot 50 percent from 3-point range and 83.3 percent from the foul line. They forced 21 turnovers and scored 32 points off of them, besting the Majors 26-8 in the paint.
Senior guard Morgan Grindle enjoyed perhaps her best game of the season. She got her first start since Nov. 16 and took advantage of the opportunity, scoring 16 points on 4-of-7 from distance and 4-of-4 from the free throw line while recording three steals. Vazquez enjoyed another solid performance, scoring 15 points on 6-of-12 overall and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Taylor Smith added 7 points and eight rebounds.
The Petrels look to set the program standard for best start to a season Sunday, when they take on third-place Birmingham-Southern in the SAA Game of the Week. Tipoff for that game is set for 1 p.m. from Dorough Field House.