By Matthew D. Stokes, BerryVikings.com Lead Writer

ROME, Ga. – Berry College lost to Southern Athletic Association opponent Oglethorpe, 79-52, in a Saturday night matchup at the Cage Center.

Berry fell to 3-11 on the season and 1-3 in SAA competition. Oglethorpe improved to 11-4 and 3-1.

Trailing by three with 8:50 remaining in the first half, Berry found itself behind by double digits after a 12-2 Oglethorpe run. The team would walk off the court trailing by a 38-27 margin at half. Oglethorpe shot 54.2 percent in that twenty minutes alone.

"We struggled with our intensity to begin with," said freshman Jordan Teems. "Toward the end of the first half, we came in, brought a lot of energy and gave ourselves a chance."

The second half offered no respite for Berry as Oglethorpe shot at a 55.6 percent clip in those 20 minutes.

"I think Oglethorpe's one of the best teams that I've seen in our conference," said Berry Head Coach Jeff Haarlow. "But on the positive side of it for us, I thought our second group brought a lot of intensity."

Berry had two players reach double figures as Mac Whalen and Lake Graham each had 10 points. Graham also added 10 rebounds. The team turned over the ball a season-high 29 times, which led to 32 Oglethorpe points.

Jordan Kinney netted a game-high 18 points for the Stormy Petrels.

Berry will return to the Cage on Wednesday evening against Huntingdon. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

"It's the last non-conference game for us," Haarlow said. "Obviously we've got to cut down on the turnovers and get better on the boards."