Men Lose Nailbiter to Piedmont

The Oglethorpe University men's basketball team lost to the Piedmont College Lions on Pinholster Court on Wednesday night, 76-73. The Petrels had the ball and a chance to tie but could not get a shot off in the waning seconds of the game.

The game was a nip-and-tuck affair throughout with the largest lead for either team during the contest being a scant six points. The Lions took a 40-38 lead into the locker room and were able to hold onto the lead, albeit slim, throughout the second half.
 
The Petrels briefly took a lead late in the game when Alex Richey stroked a three-pointer from the top of the key with only 1:30 remaining to push Oglethorpe ahead by two, 73-71. The Lions responded immediately, however, with a three-ball of their own, got an Oglethorpe stop on the other end and then a basket on their ensuing possession to provide the winning margin.
 
The Petrels had 10 seconds remaining to try and tie the score with a three-pointer but the Lions used excellent defense to thwart any Oglethorpe attempt.
 
Richey led the Petrel attack on the night with 21 points on a torrid 7 of 9 shooting from the field. Todd Ward also tallied 21 points to go along with 6 rebounds and sophomore Erik Strong turned in the finest performance of his young career with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
 
With the loss, Oglethorpe stands at 2-3 on the season and will travel to face Sewanee in SCAC play this Saturday night at 9;00 p.m. Eastern.