SEWANEE, Tenn. – Trailing by one with the final seconds ticking down, Piedmont’s Hayley Borino’s 30-foot shot found nothing but net to send women’s basketball to a dramatic 73-71 win at Sewanee on Saturday afternoon.
𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝘽𝙪𝙩. 𝙉𝙚𝙩. 💰
Trailing by one with 6.2 on the clock, Hayley Borino drains the game-winning three as the clock expires!
LIONS WIN!! pic.twitter.com/bN0FRBCx4b
— Piedmont Lions (@PiedmontLions) November 16, 2024
After falling behind by double digits early, the Lions clawed their way back in to take the lead late. However, a late turnover and foul put them behind with six seconds remaining. Then, on a broken play in the final seconds, Borino was able to gather a loose ball, find space and unleash a perfect swish from about 30 feet away as the buzzer sounded.
While Borino was the hero at the buzzer, senior Andelin Hill carried the team throughout, leading the squad with 17 points and 13 rebounds for her first double-double of the new season. Kelsey Banks added 13 points on a team-high three three-pointers while Nae-Nae Eades delivered a season-best 11 points off the bench.
Although Piedmont led 7-2 in the early going, the Tigers reeled off a 23-8 run over the rest of the quarter to lead 25-15 going into the second. The second quarter was a defensive struggle both ways as the Lions went to the break trailing 34-26.
Piedmont trailed by as many as 12 points early in the second half, but were able to hang within striking distance heading to the final quarter.
The Lions were able to quickly cut into Sewanee’s lead, with seven points from Banks in the first three minutes of the quarter making it 54-52 Tigers. Two free throws by Hill tied the score for the first time since early in the first half at 56-56 before a Banks three-pointer with 3:54 left gave Piedmont its first lead in the second half.
The momentum continued to swing Piedmont’s way after an Ashley Scott three-pointer made it 66-58 Lions with 2:37 left, but the twists and turns were just beginning. Sewanee was able to take advantage of missed free throws and turnovers as Cydney Wright made a pair of clutch free throws to give Sewanee the lead back at 71-70 with six seconds remaining.
However, the final twist turned the game in the favor of the Lions, thanks to Borino’s heroics at the buzzer giving Piedmont the victory.
TURNING POINT:
– In a game that flipped momentum multiple times in the second half, the final flip happened in favor of Piedmont as Borino swished home the buzzer-beating three.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
– In her lowest scoring output of the season, Borino came through in the clutch with a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
– Hill posted season highs in points (17) and rebounds (13) in the win.
