The Oglethorpe women's basketball team completed a perfect 14-0 home schedule Sunday afternoon, as they pulled away from the visiting Centre Colonels in the fourth quarter to win 64-54 at Dorough Field House and improve to 23-1 on the season overall and 13-0 in SAA play.
Centre did a good job of staying with the 16th-ranked Stormy Petrels most of the afternoon, tying the score at 47-47 late in the third quarter and trailing just 48-47 with 10 minutes remaining. The Petrels played outstanding defense in the fourth quarter, though, holding the Colonels to just a single made basket and outscoring them 16-7 for the period. They went on a 10-0 run over the opening 3:10 of the period to take a 58-47 lead. Centre pulled back to within 6 points with a 5-point stretch over 1:30, making it 58-52 with 4:50 remaining. However, the home side went on a 6-1 run to assert control of the contest and take a 64-53 lead with 2:20 to go.
After the Petrels took a 37-30 lead with 7:15 left in the third quarter, the Colonels rolled off 7 consecutive points to tie the score 37-37. They stayed with the home side the remainder of the quarter and outscored them 20-17 over the period, but they were unable to take the lead.
The teams played a tight opening quarter and Centre led 17-16 after the opening 10 minutes. The Petrels responded with their biggest run of the game, scoring 13 consecutive points to open the second quarter and take a 29-17 lead, their largest of the game, with 5:40 left until halftime. Centre came back with 8 points in a row to immediately pull back to within 4 points, 29-25, with 4:15 until halftime. The Petrels led 31-27 at the break.
Junior center Sydni Donovan led the Petrels on the day, scoring 15 points off the bench on 7-of-9 from the field and grabbing five rebounds. Junior center Savannah LeGate led the team with six rebounds and scored 11 points on 5-of-9 from the field. Junior forward Audrey Burdge tallied four steals while tossing in eight points on 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Nikki Reed added 14 points on 6-of-9 from the floor.
The Petrels shot 48.2 percent from the field and held the Colonels to 44.2 percent, but shot just 46.7 percent from the free throw line and were outrebounded 31-28. Oglethorpe forced 17 turnovers while committing just eight themselves, outscoring the Colonels 14-4 in the category. They also outscored the visitors 38-16 in the paint.
Oglethorpe closes out their regular season schedule Saturday in Mount Berry, when they travel to northwest Georgia to take on the homestanding Berry Vikings 5 p.m. After that, they'll host the first round of the SAA Tournament Feb. 23.