Frederick, MD – After a slow start to the second half, the Piedmont College men’s basketball team rallied to force overtime but the luck ran out as the Lions came up short falling 69-66 to Eastern Mennonite University in the Rotary Holiday Classic hosted by Hood College. It was a low scoring affair for the Lions who entered averaging 80 points per game, but Piedmont did see four players score in double figures including a game-high 21 points by Brian Edwards.
Piedmont led at the break 33-27 after an 8-0 run during the final minutes before the first half ended. That momentum did not carry over into the second half however as the Lions quickly were outscored 11-3 to start the second period.
The Lions led the contest until the clock ticked just under 5:00 remaining when Eastern Mennonite took the lead on a free throw 56-55. The Royals led by as many as four in the final minutes but a layup by Chase England with 0:36 left and a jumper by Edwards with 12 seconds left tied it up at 59 and forced OT.
These teams matched one another point for point in the extra period until a free throw by Chris Meeks put the Lions up by one. Piedmont led 66-65 with 2:11 left to play but a jumper and two free throws by the Royals sealed the Lions fate.
Piedmont was solid at the line shooting 81% going 9-of-11 but gave up 17-of-31 to Eastern Mennonite, giving the Royals an easy advantage. The Lions have been successful from behind the arc most of the season but struggled against the Royals connecting only once going 1-of-15.
Edwards led the team with 21 points while adding 8 rebounds while England and Justin Vallejo both came up one rebound shy of a double-double as both accounted for 9 rebounds. The fourth Lion to reach double digits was Jessie Jenkins who finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds.
With the loss, Piedmont falls to 4-4 and will now play in the consolation game of this weekend’s Rotary Holiday Classic hosted by Hood College. The Lions will face the loser of tonight’s nightcap between the host Blazers and Frostburg State.
Tip off in tomorrow’s (December 21) consolation game is set for 1:00 pm and live video coverage will be available courtesy of the Office of Sports Information at Hood College.
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