Oglethorpe holds off second-half Panther rally
Dec. 6, 2006

Oglethorpe University held off LaGrange College down the stretch for an 88-79 win Wednesday night at Mariotti Gym. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Panthers, now 5-2. The Stormy Petrels upped their season record to 3-4.

The loss denied the Panthers their best start ever. The 5-1 mark coming into the game equaled the start of the 2003-04 team. The Panthers take a break for final exams before hosting Rhodes College on Friday, Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

The difference in Wednesday night's game came at the free throw line. Oglethorpe made 32-of-39 free throws, while the Panthers only hit 10 of 26. The Stormy Petrels' Katie Kulavic and Anna Findley combined to make 20-of-22 shots from the line.

Kulavic had all of her game-high 19 points in the second half. The Stormy Petrels had five players in double-figures. Findley had 18 points, Erin Flynn 16, Tina Grace 12 and Courtney Reed 11.

The Panthers had four players in double-figures. Ebonie Johnson led the team with 15 points. Valeree Williams had 14 points, LaTessa Taylor 13 and Kellee Scandrett 12.

The Panthers led only once in the game. Scandrett's three-pointer and a basket by Taylor put the Panthers up 5-2 in the first two minutes of the game. Jasmine Johnson's layup put the Stormy Petrels up 6-5 and they never trailed again.

The Panthers trailed 39-25 with 4:14 left in the first half. Back-to-back three's from Johnson and Williams cut the deficit to 39-31. Courtney Reed's three-pointer at the buzzer gave Oglethorpe a 44-34 lead at the break.

The Stormy Petrels led by as many as 17 points in the early going of the second half. They led 73-58 with eight minutes remaining when the Panthers rallied.

A jumper by Lindsey Moore started a 10-0 run by the Panthers. Williams hit a shot in the paint to cut Oglethorpe's lead to 73-68 with six minutes left. It was as close as the Panthers would get. The Stormy Petrels re-built their lead to 14, 87-73, with 1:35 left to put the game out of reach.

After the Rhodes' game, the Panthers host Brenau University on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. It is the final game of the Panthers' seven-game homestand and last game until after the holidays.