MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Piedmont men’s basketball jumped out to a fast start and held on late to defeat Huntingdon 83-75 on Friday night in Montgomery, Alabama.
The win marks Piedmont’s second consecutive road win of the week, following a dominant performance at Covenant on Tuesday night.
The Lions were hot out of the gate, racing out to a 17-6 lead in the early going. Although the Hawks bounced back with a strong end to the first half, Piedmont was able to generate key defensive stops down the stretch to keep the lead and take the win.
Ryan Jolly led the Lions with 24 points on 10 made field goals to go with seven rebounds. Noah Reardon also joined the 20-point club, scoring exactly 20 on 4-of-8 from downtown, including a big three-pointer in the closing minutes. Fisher Darden finished one shy, with 19 points to go with five rebounds.
Huntingdon was able to close its deficit to one point thanks to an 11-4 run to end the first half. Reardon was the first half-star for the Lions, with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Although the Hawks took a one-point lead on two occasions early in the second half, the Lions responded with a 13-2 run to extend their lead to 50-40.
From there, the Hawks were able to close within three on two occasions in the final minutes, but both times, Piedmont immediately answered with a three-pointer, with one coming from Joe Helenbrook and the other from Reardon with 2:31 left to stifle the rally.
Up next, the Lions will be right back in action, playing at LaGrange on Saturday at 4 p.m.
TURNING POINT:
– Piedmont used a 13-2 run to take control of the game with a 50-40 lead midway through the second half. The Lions led the rest of the way to close out the road win.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
– With his 24-point outing Friday night, Jolly has now scored 20+ points 13 or more times.
– Reardon’s 20-point night marks his fourth of the season, with all coming in conference play (two have been against Huntingdon).
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
– After forcing just three Huntingdon turnovers in the first half, the Lions forced eight in the final 20 minutes.
