DEMOREST, Ga. – The Piedmont men’s basketball team caught fire early and delivered an offensive explosion in a 122-61 rout of Warren Wilson on Tuesday night at Cave Arena.
Piedmont’s 122 points mark an NCAA-era single-game record, as the Lions scored 67 points in the first half and tallied 55 more in the second half.
The Lions scored 46 points off 29 Owls turnovers and knocked down 13 of 26 from beyond the arc.
Overall, 15 different Lions scored in the contest, with six reaching double figures. The group was led by a double-double from Ryan Jolly, as the standout guard tallied 23 points and 10 assists while adding five steals. Sophomore Fisher Darden pitched in with a career-high 16 points.
Transfer newcomer Griffin Neville added a season-best 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including a perfect 3-of-3 from deep.
The Owls scored first to go up 3-0 in the opening minute. However, it was all Lions from there, as they answered on a Joe Helenbrook three-pointer on the next possession to tie it, and then took the lead for good on Jeremiah Carter-Johnson’s layup less than 20 seconds later.
By the under 16 minute media timeout, the lead had been pushed to 19-5 and Piedmont continued to run away from there, leading by 44 points at the break.
Devin Dean and Silas Mulligan reached the double-digit scoring mark in the second half, as Mulligan scored his first 10 points in a Piedmont uniform, all in the second half.
Up next, the Lions head to Wheaton, Illinois, for tournament action taking on host Wheaton on Friday, November 17, at 8 p.m.
TURNING POINT:
The Lions used a 42-10 run to close out the first half and leave no doubt in Tuesday’s contest.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Ryan Jolly scored all 23 of his points in the first half.
- Silas Mulligan scored all 10 of his points in the second half on 4-of-6 shooting.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS:
- Piedmont’s 122 points marks the most in a single game in program history, besting the previous mark of 117, which happened on two occasions in 2007.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- Piedmont held a 67-23 lead at the break as Ryan Jolly posted 23 points in the first half alone.
- The Lions shot 46-of-86 (53.5%) from the floor for the game and knocked down 17-of-23 (73.5%) from the free-throw line.
- The Lions were just short of the single-game mark for field goals with 46. The record sits at 48.
