DEMOREST, Ga. – Piedmont women’s basketball jumped out to an early lead and staved off a late Belhaven rally in a 79-65 win over the Blazers inside Cave Arena Saturday afternoon.
The win gives Piedmont four in a row and continues the perfect CCS run at 5-0. Andelin Hill continued her dominant run, with another 20+ point and 10+ rebound performance, scoring 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the win. Ashley Scott pitched in 14 points and added seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Newcomer Ava Hunter (11 points) and junior Kelsey Banks (10 points) also reached double figures.
After starting slowly offensively during the home conference win streak, the Lions wasted no time executing at a high level on Saturday, racing out to a 24-14 lead thanks to an 11-of-20 shooting performance over the first 10 minutes.
Piedmont led by as many as 15 points on multiple occasions throughout the second quarter, but the Blazers Shakendalah Jones hit a long three-pointer at the buzzer to make it 40-29 Piedmont heading to the break.
The Lions kept the pedal down offensively in the second half, holding the lead the entire way. Belhaven was able to cut its deficit to six points at 71-65 with 2:57 to play. However, Piedmont immediately slammed the door shut on the next possession as Nae-Nae Eades found Alexandria Willis for a layup to halt the momentum. From there, the Lions were able to push the final margin back up to 14 points thanks to more solid work at the foul line.
Still undefeated in the CCS 💪
Piedmont claims a 79-65 win over Belhaven to move to 5-0 in the league! pic.twitter.com/kjKLXcG4pc
— Piedmont WBB (@PiedmontWBB) January 18, 2025
Up next, Piedmont will take to the road and battle Wesleyan tomorrow, Jan. 19 with a 2 p.m. tipoff.
TURNING POINT:
– After Belhaven cut the Piedmont lead to 71-65 with just under three minutes to play, the Lions finished the game on an 8-0 run to seal the victory.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
– Hill delivered her fourth consecutive double-double and her third straight 20-point, 10-rebound game.
– Scott produced yet another standout performance against the Blazers, scoring 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds in the win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
– Both Scott and Banks connected on a team-high two three-pointers.
– The Lions were a rock solid 8-of-9 from the free throw line in the final quarter.
