Men Knock Off Previously Unbeaten Panthers

The Oglethorpe University men's basketball team defeated Birmingham-Southern College on Friday night on Pinholster Court, 71-67. Billed as a game between the SCAC's two highest scoring offenses, Oglethorpe earned the win on the defensive side of the ball, holding the Panthers to 39% shooting on the night.

The Petrels jumped out to an early lead on the strength of consecutive Wade Weldon three-pointers and it took the Panthers over 27 minutes of clock time to take their first lead in the game at the 12:18 mark of the second half, 42-41. That Panther lead was short-lived, however, as the Petrels used a 13-4 run over the next four minutes to seize control.

Despite the Panthers forcing 19 Oglethorpe turnovers, the Petrels were able to keep Birmingham-Southern at bay down the stretch and pull out the big conference victory. Oglethorpe handed the Panthers their first loss of the season and, in addition to the great defensive work, the Petrels used a dominating 45-27 rebounding margin to claim the win.

The Petrels were led by Todd Ward's 20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks on the evening. Senior Wade Weldon also turned in an outstanding performance with 16 points and 8 rebounds and teammate David Allison added 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for Oglethorpe.

The result is Oglethorpe's fifth consecutive win and will have the team looking to go to 3-0 in the SCAC when Rhodes College comes calling at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. For the season, Oglethorpe is 7-3 overall.