The Oglethorpe women's basketball team set a new program standard Sunday afternoon in Dorough Field House, improving to 17-1 and marking the best 18-game start to a season in program history with a tight 75-72 win over the Birmingham-Southern Panthers. The win served as the 100th of head coach Alex Richey's career and improved the Stormy Petrels to 7-0 in SAA play, putting them two games up in the race for first place in the league.
The visiting Panthers competed with the Petrels all afternoon, refusing to make it easy on the home team. However, Oglethorpe led 68-61 with 5:45 remaining in the game. The visitors clawed back 4 consecutive points to cut it to just a 3-point game, 68-65, with 3:25 to play, but a 3-point play from junior forward Audrey Burdge and an offensive-rebound-and-putback by junior center Savannah LeGate pushed it back out to 73-65 with 2:15 on the clock. Birmingham-Southern scored 5 straight points, getting a layup and a 3-point play to make it 73-70 with just under 1:20 to go. The Panthers got a chance to tie the game when they were fouled on a 3-point shot with just 9 seconds left. They made the first two, but missed the third, though, and the Petrels got a pair of free throws at the other end to make it 75-72 with 6 seconds on the clock. Birmingham-Southern couldn't get a shot off at the other end, and the Petrels secured the victory.
The game was tight most of the way through, with neither team able to gain a sizeable lead. The lead changed hands 19 times and the game featured 10 ties. The two teams traded baskets most of the first half, with the Petrels leading 15-14 at the end of the first quarter and Birmingham-Southern holding a 36-35 edge at the half.
The Panthers used a 7-point run over 40 seconds to take their largest lead, 47-41, with 7:15 to go in the third quarter. Oglethorpe immediately went on a 13-0 run of their own, though, pushing out to a 54-47 lead at the 3-minute mark. Oglethorpe kept them at arm's length the rest of the quarter, leading 60-54 at the quarter break, then took their largest lead of 64-55 with just under 8 minutes left in the contest.
Junior center Savannah LeGate recorded a double-double, scoring 22 points on 11-of-22 from the field and grabbing 17 rebounds. Junior guard Taylor Smith put up a double-double of her own, scoring 25 and nabbing 10 boards.
The Petrels outrebounded Birmingham-Southern 28-6 on the offensive glass for a 27-4 advantage in second-chance points. They also outscored the Panthers 20-8 off turnovers and 56-28 in the paint. Those advantages made up for the visitors outshooting the Petrels 47.2-to-38.3 percent while making 5 of 9 three-point attempts to Oglethorpe's 0 for 5.
Richey gained his 100th career win in his 157th game, accruing a 100-57 mark to this point in his sixth season as head coach. He became the second coach in program history to garner 100 wins, joining Ron Sattele, who went 116-58 over six seasons from 2004 to 2010.
Oglethorpe returns to action Friday evening, when they travel to Jackson, Mississippi, to take on Millsaps at 7 p.m. Eastern. They'll then take on these same Panthers Sunday at 4 p.m.