LEXINGTON, Va. – Piedmont men’s basketball claimed the title at the W&L Holiday Classic with a thrilling 83-78 overtime win over the host Generals on Monday afternoon.
In a back-and-forth battle, the Lions made enough hustle plays and two late three-pointers to hold off the Generals in overtime.
Javi Marlowe led the five Lions who reached double figures, scoring a season-best 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and was named Tournament MVP. Fisher Darden added 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Dylan Patrick was named to the All-Tournament Team with another solid performance, scoring 12 points to go with eight rebounds and three assists.
The Generals blitzed the Lions out of the gate, racing out to a quick 15-3 lead with 14:33 to go in the first half. However, Piedmont erased its deficit in just under 10 minutes of game action, with a Darden three-pointer giving them a 24-23 edge late in the first half. In the final seconds of the opening half, Piedmont’s Israel Hall got a steal and layup to knot the score at 37 apiece going to the locker room.
In the first 2:30 out of halftime, the Lions ran out to a 48-40 lead. While W&L was able to claw back into the contest and tie the game, it was unable to grab the lead.
Piedmont led by a point with under two minutes to go when Marlowe made a diving steal and outlet pass to Darden for a layup to make it 68-65 Piedmont. Then, after the Generals took their first lead of the second half, Marlowe’s hustle led to points again, as he tipped home an errant shot and drew a foul, converting the and-one to make it 72-70 Lions with 20 seconds left in regulation.
Unfortunately, W&L’s AJ Thomas converted a layup in the final seconds to send the game to OT.
Piedmont left no doubt in the extra period, never trailing after a couple of trips to the free throw line and three-pointer daggers from Darden and Bailey Wiseman. Then, with the Generals in desperation mode, the Lions were finally able to secure a defensive rebound as Wiseman threw a perfectly timed outlet pass to Darden, who dunked it home to seal the victory.
𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧. 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗦 🏆
Lions prevail in OT against W&L as Fisher closes it out with the slam!! pic.twitter.com/cXTSO63JXb
— Piedmont Basketball (@Lions_MBB) December 30, 2024
Up next, the Lions will return home and begin conference play in the new year, hosting new CCS foe Asbury at Cave Arena on Saturday, January 4 at 4 p.m.
TURNING POINT:
Piedmont grabbed control of the game with an 11-3 run out of halftime, forcing the Generals to play catch up the rest of the way.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Patrick was named to the All-Tournament Team with a 12-point, eight rebound, three assist performance.
- Marlowe was named Tournament MVP after he added a season-best 19 points to go with nine rebounds, including a pair of critical plays down the stretch in regulation.
- Darden tallied 18 points, including a clutch three-pointer to put Piedmont up 78-72 late in the overtime period.
- Israel Hall tallied 14 points off the bench and made 4-of-5 free throws.
NEWS AND NOTES:
- This marks Piedmont’s second tournament win of the season, as they were also champions of the 84 Lumber Classic at Covenant earlier this season.
- This marked the first matchup between the Lions and the Generals in almost 20 years. They last met on Jan. 2, 2005 in a W&L victory.
