Demorest, GA – The Piedmont College women’s basketball team picked up perhaps its biggest win of the 2014-15 season so far with an 81-69 victory over visiting Emory University in the Championship Game of its own Cancer Awareness Tournament.
Hosted in Cave Arena over the last two days, Piedmont earned two wins out of conference play and picked up the tournament championship courtesy of the 12-point win over its in-state rival tonight.
The Lady Lions raced out to a 10-2 lead in the early minutes using home court momentum and support from the holiday crowd in Cave Arena as DAKOTA SULLENS capped off the run with three points the old fashioned way. Sullens had five of the team’s first ten points as MARY KATE RUSHTON also added a three-point shot to the run as well.
Emory finally reclaimed the lead on a wild bank shot from Ilene Tsao as the Eagles went up 11-10 with just under 15 minutes to play in the first half. Back-to-back baskets from JULIANNE BAYER would help Piedmont go back up by one moments later, but the two would continue to trade the lead back and forth in a tightly contested game in the early going.
Just past the midway point of the opening period, the lost art of the mid-range jumper was not lost on TAYLOR SWOSZOWSKI as the junior calmly stepped up to sink a 2-point bucket that put Piedmont up 7 (27-20), its largest lead since the opening minutes.
Once again, Emory would chip away at the home team advantage widdling it down to four points, but a try from Swoszowski from downtown this time around connected and Piedmont again went up seven, 38-31, with just over four to go. However, three-pointers from Emory helped the Eagles stay in the ball game as the visitors trailed by just six at the break, 45-39.
The Eagles opened the 2nd half on a 6-1 run to close the gap again, but Piedmont had an answer relying on six combined points inside from JULIANNE BAYER and CARLY SALES as PC pushed in front by ten, 58-48 with just over 12 to go. Four more free throws from Bayer would make it a 14-point lead for PC, its largest lead of the game to that point.
Despite the big 2nd half advantage, Piedmont was well aware of last year’s matchup with the Eagles as the Lady Lions lost a 2nd half lead as big as 15 to come up three-points shy of an upset over the then-undefeated Eagles.
However, the Lady Lions would not relent this year holding on to the lead into the waning moments as the crowd began to feel the victory coming with under two minutes to play, and CARLY SALES at the line. Sales would hit both attempts as PC connected on its final six tries from the charity stripe to salt away the 81-69 victory over Emory at home moving to 7-1 on the season.
For Emory, the loss is the third of the season with two of those losses coming to USA South foes as Maryville also defeated the Eagles back on November 30. Piedmont’s JULIANNE BAYER posted a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds, both game-highs, while CARLY SALES was two boards shy of her own scoring 12 points as one of four Lady Lions in double figures.
The Lady Lions will now have a little more than a week to prepare for their next action on the court as they jump back into USA South play traveling to Raleigh, North Carolina to take on Meredith College on Friday, January 2. Tip off is set for 2:00 pm in the contest which is the first of two in the Tar Heel State for PC that weekend as the Lady Lions travel on to Rocky Mount to face NC Wesleyan the next day at 4:00 pm.
Coverage for both contests in Carolina on the weekend of January 2-3 will be provided by the respective Offices of Sports Information at each institution.
