With the game tied at 14 at the 13:15 mark of the first half, the Petrels used a 38-14 run to close the stanza and seize control of the game. The run was highlighted by freshman Riley Cerone's buzzer-beating three-pointer as the half expired. For the night, Cerone was scintillating shooting the basketball in sinking 8 of 11 shots and 7 of 10 from downtown on her way to a 26 point debut. The seven three-pointers in a game ranks second all-time in the Oglethorpe record books.
 
The Petrels also had three other freshmen record double-digits in their inaugural game on Pinholster Court with Sarah Jones pouring in 13 to go along with 7 assists, Kaci Palmore notching 11 points and a team-high 12 rebounds and Sarah Giles recording 10 points and grabbing 6 boards. Senior Taymah Jones, coming off successive seasons missed with ACL injuries, returned to action as a starter and posted 7 points, four rebounds and two assists.
 
The winning night included a special halftime ceremony where the 2008-2009 SCAC Championship and Sweet 16 banner was unveiled and former All-Americans Anna Findley and Katie Kulavic had their jersey's retired.
 
The Petrels are now 1-0 on the season and will get set to host Maryville College this Monday at 7:00 p.m. on Pinholster Court.

Exclusive balloting by the men's and women's basketball coaches in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference were held last week to determine the preseason order of finish for all 12 conference members and both the men's and women's teams for Oglethorpe fared well in the voting process.
 
The Oglethorpe University men's team received 103 total votes, including two first place votes, to make them the second pick overall in the conference. The Petrels trailed only eastern division rival Centre in the voting after the Colonels were able to secure 114 votes. To view the men's preseason order of finish as voted on by the coaches, go here. The men's season tips off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 19against Emory on Pinholster Court.
 
The Oglethorpe University women's team received 76 total votes to make them the fifth overall selection in the twelve team conference. The Petrels are projected to finish third in the eastern division behind DePauw (117 votes) and Centre College (109 votes). To view the women's preseason order of finish as vvoted on by the coaches, go here. The women's season tips off against Emory on Tuesday, November 17 at 7:00 p.m. on Pinholster Court.

Richmann graduated from Oglethorpe University in May of 2009 with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in mathematics. She was awarded the Oglethorpe Cup for her many achievements on the Oglethorpe campus and, as a player, Richmann ranks in the top ten of six all-time statistical categories. She currently resides as the school’s all-time leader in blocks and finished her career second all-time in both field goal percentage and rebounding. Richmann played on a squad that won 96 games in four years, earned four trips to the NCAA Tournament including a run to the Final Four in 2008 and was the captain of the 2009 Southern Collegiate Athletic Confernce championship team in her senior year.

Karvis, who has served as the assistant women's coach at St Pius X since 2004, graduated from Oglethorpe in 2003 as the all-time leading scorer in both school and conference history with 1,795 career points. Both of those records were eclipsed this year by Oglethorpe senior guard Katie Kulavic, a player under Karvis at St. Pius, on February 22 on Pinholster Court at which Karvis was in attendance for the occasion.
 
Karvis, who married her college sweetheart from Oglethorpe, Barrett, will begin her head coaching duties for the Westminster Schools immediately.

"I’d like to congratulate all the members of the 2009 State Farm Coaches’ NCAA Division III All-America Team," said Women’s Basketball Coaches Association CEO Beth Bass. "These 10 student-athletes truly stood above the rest this season and are deserving of such recognition."

Kulavic was named to the 2009 NCAA Division III State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team for her continued excellence on the basketball court. This season, Kulavic guided Oglethorpe to a 27-4 record while pouring in 15.6 points per game, grabbing 5.2 rebounds per game, dishing 3.9 assists per game and forcing 2.0 steals per game. She ranked either first or second on Oglethorpe’s "Sweet 16" team in each of those four categories. Additionally, Kulavic became both the all-time leading scorer, male or female, in school and Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference history with 1,952 career points.

Findley was named to the 2009 D3hoops.com All-America Third Team for her outstanding performance on the hardwood in the 2008-2009 season. Findley lead the Stormy Petrels in scoring this season with a 17.1 per game average while also posting 4.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Additionally, Findley snared 2.1 steals per game to lead the team and is the all-time record holder in Oglethorpe history in that category.

Findley, a guard from Hiram, Georgia, was named to the 2009 D3hoops.com All-South Region Second Team for her outstanding performance on the hardwood in the 2008-2009 season. Findley lead the Petrels in scoring this season with a 17.1 per game average while also posting 4.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Additionally, Findley snared 2.1 steals per game to lead the team and is the all-time record holder in Oglethorpe history in that category.
 
Kulavic, a guard from Norcross, Georgia, was named to the 2009 D3hoops.com All-South Region Third Team for her continued excellence on the basketball court. Kulavic poured in 15.6 points per game, grabbed 5.2 rebounds per game, dished 3.9 assists per game and forced 2.0 steals per game. She ranked either first or second on the team in each of those four categories. Additionally, Kulavic became both the all-time leading scorer, male or female, in school and Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference history with 1,952 career points.

Sattele has guided Oglethorpe to four consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament including taking the women's team to the Final Four in 2008 and advancing them to the Sweet 16 in 2009. In five seasons as Oglethorpe's head coach, Sattele has compiled a 105-42 (.714) record that includes four straight 20-win seasons.

The SCAC is placing a special emphasis on sportsmanship this year – asking all fans of the conference to exhibit good sportsmanship at all conference functions throughout the 2008-2009 season.

 

Down 8 at the half, Oglethorpe stormed back to tie the game at 44 with 14:24 remaining. The Bruins, however, closed the game on a 27-12 run to claim the victory and advance.
 
Tina Grace led Oglethorpe with 17 points and 7 rebounds on the night to go along with 5 assists. Katie Kulavic added 15 points, 5 rebounds and four assists and Biz Richmann dropped 13 points and 9 rebounds for Oglethorpe in the loss.
 
Despite the season ending defeat, the graduating class of 2009 compiled a staggering 97-26 record in their four years on the hardwood. At 27-4 on the season, this group also set the school record for fewest losses and best winning percentage in a season.

Kulavic, of Norcross, Georgia, became both Oglethorpe’s and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference’s (SCAC) all-time leading scorer this season, male or female. Additionally, she became only the second person in SCAC history to be selected as a First Team All-Conference performer in each of her four years on the hardwood. Kulavic has also been selected as a 2009 State Farm All-America finalist for her outstanding performance on the basketball court.

In five years as the head coach at Oglethorpe, Ron Sattele has posted a 105-41 (.719) overall record and has taken the Stormy Petrels to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to last year’s Final Four. Currently, his squad is alive in the “Sweet 16” in the 2009 NCAA Tournament and the team is ranked fifth nationally in the ESPN/USA Today Poll with a 27-3 overall record.

Just eight days agoa, Sattele and his squad secutred the school's first ever SCAC Championship in women's basketball and the team is currently boasting their most wins and fewest losses of any season.
 
In five years as Oglethorpe head coach, Sattele has compiled a staggering 105-41 (.719) record and took the Petrels all the way to the Final Four in the 2008 Tournament.

Kulavic has helped guide the Petrels to a 27-3 overall mark and the No. 5 national ranking in the ESPN/USA Today Poll. She played a starring role in securing Oglethorpe's first women's basketball SCAC championship late last month and is one of only two players in conference history to be selected as an All-Conference First Team performer in four consecutive seasons. Additionally, Katie is both Oglethorpe's and the SCAC's all-time leading scorer, male or female.

The Petrels (27-3) will square off on Friday night with the undefeated George Fox Bruins (28-0), one of only two remaining unbeatens in college basketball. The Bruins hold the No. 3 national ranking while Oglethorpe is holding down the No. 5 slot.
 
Also matching up on Friday night will be Sectional host No. 7 Thomas More (28-2) and Final Four host No. 2 Hope College (27-1). The Friday night winners will do battle again on Saturday, with the winner punching a ticket to the Final Four.
 
With the nations' No.'s 2, 3, 5 and 7th ranked teams all in one place, many are calling these pairings the "bracket of death" in the 2009 Tournament. The combined record of the four teams to take the court in Florence will be a staggering 110-6. Whoever emerges from this group will certainly have earned their trip to Holland, Michigan and the Final Four.
 
Check back for precise game times for this Friday night as they will be announced on Tuesday afternoon.