Maryville, TN – The Piedmont College women’s basketball team fell last night 78-65 to the 18th ranked Scots of Marvyille College in the Lady Lions’ USA South regular season finale for the 2014-15 season.
Maryville was unreal from 3-point land hitting on all seven tries from distance in the first half while Piedmont was 1-for-8 from deep in the opening period. The Scots used the hot shooting to build a 43-28 lead at the break with Piedmont shooting just under 38% in the first half.
Sophomore BRIANNA BARRETT led PC with her 20 points on the night coming on 7-of-13 shooting adding three assists and a steal to her stat line for the night. Barrett has now scored in double figures in each of the last three games for PC playing all but two minutes during that stretch.
Having the best shooting performance of the evening was LE’SHAUNDA JONES as she hit on 8-of-11 tries from the field scoring 17 points as she leads PC in scoring this season with her 10.8 per. Jones scored all eight of her field goals inside the perimeter while she also tied for the team high in rebounds with seven along with teammate DAKOTA SULLENS.
CHANDLER ALVERSON was the third of three in double figures for the Lady Lions with her dozen. Maryville’s Mckenzie Puckett led all scorers with her 24 total points on 10-of-16 shooting.
The two teams were tied at six just under four minutes in after a JULIANNE BAYER layup, but Maryville’s Mckenzie Puckett then started a 10-2 Maryville run with a three-pointer. The Scots started to distance themselves from the visiting Lady Lions from that point though Piedmont’s BRIANNA BARRETT helped the Lady Lions stay close with five of her 20 points coming on two of Piedmont’s next three possessions.
However, the Scots stayed in front through the first half with Jordan Ballard’s three with seconds remaining putting Maryville up 15 at the intermission. Ballard led all scorers at the break with her dozen points.
Out of the locker room, Piedmont’s MARY KATE RUSHTON scored to make it a 13-point game, but again Puckett was up to the task scoring six straight herself to put the Scots up 19 with less than three minutes played in the 2nd half. BRIANNA BARRETT continued to keep Piedmont in the game scoring five of the team’s next seven points but Maryville answered with another Puckett layup as the All-American had 24 to lead all scorers on the evening.
Piedmont did make a run late in the second half trimming the margin down to single digits on three occassions in the final ten minutes with a LE’SHAUNDA JONES layup at the 7:41 mark making it a two-possession game, 59-53. However, Maryville again had an answer scoring the game’s next nine points to go back up 15 and put the Lady Lions on the brink with less than five minutes remaining after Alex Bond’s 3-pointer made it 68-53 Scots.
Barrett would cut the lead down to single digits again with a three-pointer, but her triple came with just 51 seconds left as Piedmont trailed still by nine with time running out in Tennesee to close the gap. Maryville finished the game on a 6-2 run to win 78-65 with Piedmont missing on five of its final six shots in the closing minute as ERIN CLIFFORD put in the game’s final try, a jumper with just a few ticks left on the clock.
The Lady Lions fall to 18-6 overall following tonight’s loss to the Scots and finish 2014-15 with the same record in USA South play as in 2013-14 with a 11-5 mark. Piedmont is assured of a spot in the 2015 USA South Championship Tournament, but seeding in the event is still yet to be determined as the final weekend of conference play will take place this coming Saturday and Sunday.
Piedmont will wrap up the regular season with a home contest on Saturday, February 21 as the Lady Lions play host to local rival Toccoa Falls College in a doubleheader with the men’s basketball team. The Lady Lions will tip off at 3:00 pm in Demorest with action in Cave Arena set to be carried live on the Mane Event Broadcasting Network with video and live stats available.
