LaGRANGE, Ga. – Piedmont women’s basketball pushed its winning streak to four with a convincing 86-75 road win over LaGrange on Saturday afternoon.
Ava Hunter was a force inside on Saturday, with easily a season-high 27 points to go with nine rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench. The transfer from UNG went 11-of-15 from the field and was 7-of-10 from the free throw line. She was joined in double figures by Andelin Hill, who delivered another double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds in the win.
Kelsey Banks provided scoring from the outside, with 14 points and a pair of three-pointers.
Piedmont struggled out of the gate, with the Panthers jumping out front and leading most of the first quarter while taking a 17-12 edge into the second quarter. LaGrange led by as many as seven at 20-13 early iin the second quarter before the Lions were able to find their footing.
The game turned quickly in Piedmont’s favor midway through the second, however, as a 16-0 run turned a seven-point deficit into a 29-20 lead thanks to three field goals by Hunter and five points from Banks, including a three-pointer to punctuate the run.
The Lions led by as many as 13 points late in the first half and took a 40-29 lead into the break after a 28-12 edge in the second quarter.
From there, the Lions held control of the contest the rest of the way, leading by as many as 16 points late in the third quarter after a Brooklyn Begley three-pointer.
Despite LaGrange’s 29-point offensive explosion over the final 10 minutes, Piedmont never let the Panthers deficit get under 10 points as the Lions made 10-of-17 field goals themselves in the final quarter.
With Asbury’s loss at Belhaven Saturday, the Lions and Eagles are now tied atop the CCS standings with two losses apiece.
Up next, Piedmont is scheduled to conclude its regular season next Friday at Huntingdon with a 3 p.m. tip off.
TURNING POINT:
– Piedmont’s 16-0 run in the middle of the second quarter turned the game completely in its favor.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
– Hunter was a dominant force in the paint, racing past her previous career high at Piedmont to post 27 points, nine rebounds and 10 made field goals in the game.
– Banks added 14 points and a pair of three-pointers off the bench
– Hill tacked on her second double-double of the week (12 pts, 10 reb) and third in the last four games.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
– Thanks to big-time performances from Hunter and Banks, Piedmont held the edge in bench points by a 56-13 margin.
