Demorest, GA – For most teams coming off an upset loss in a conference tournament, the negative effects may carry over into the following season. However, with a savvy veteran at the helm like Head Coach Jamie Purdy, the Lady Lions looking at last year’s season-ending loss in the conference tournament as a key learning experience.
“I hope they are going to use that experience as a positive one to learn from and make an adjustment now,” said Purdy of her team’s early exit in 2013-14. “They know that I was extremely disappointed in how season ended, I thought that we should have competed more in that conference tournament than what we did. I think they are focused now, they were disappointed as well.
Purdy continued to say: “Mentally I don’t think they were prepared going into the tournament like they should have been. And I believe that they see now that the mental aspect of the game is just as important as the physical aspect.”
Despite the end ot 2013-14, Purdy is optimistic about the start of 2014-15 going the way of the Green and Gold. The coach has reason to be as well with a great deal of veteran experience returning, a welcome sight after just one senior was on the 2013-14 roster.
“I’m looking forward to this season, I think the girls, especially the returners, put in alot of effort in the offseason to come back and get better,” said Purdy. “I think they came back more focused and prepared. The freshman have come in and really bought in to what we’re doing, and I’m really looking forward to the season.”
Included in the newcomers to the Lady Lions are several new pieces that Purdy pointed to for the success of her 2014-15 team. Post player DAKOTA SULLENS and guard ASHLEIGH STANLEY both figure to be key in the coach’s plans to ensure success once again, but both players will get a taste of how tough college competition can be with Piedmont playing in the South Division of the USA South.
In 2013-14, four of the five teams in the South Division won 15 games or more on the season with only two games separating the 3rd and 4th place teams in the standings. Only three teams from the South will make the USA South Championship field once again, and Purdy is not expecting the lineup to get easier anytime soon.
“I think it will be just as tough if not tougher. Last year, our travel and schedule as a whole was pretty intense and for the young girls on our team to be able to handle that and perform the way that they did, having that year of experience, understanding that it’s back-to-back games, playing two days in a row…They are going to be prepared.”
Despite competition staying at an elite level, Purdy is excited to have veterans of a run to the Championship Tournament in 2013-14 back for another season in 2014-15. The coach has her mind made up that the experience could be the difference in making the field, and making a run through the field.
“This is probably the first time in my coaching career that I have seen such a drastic change in the maturity level just in that one year. BRIANNA BARRETT, CARLY SALES, they were freshmen last year, and they really came in this year and seem like new players. Same thing with Swoz (TAYLOR SWOSZOWSKI), Mary Kate (Rushton), those older returners, just that experience and maturity has really helped.”
With the focus on Birmingham-Southern in the opener, Coach Purdy has kept her team’s approach very simple as she discussed when asked of what her team needs to do to come away with a win Saturday:
“Stick to our gameplan. We’re an up-tempo type team, we like to press. If we can get contributions off the bench, if those can perform, and everybody can feed off that energy, I think we will be good.”
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STORYLINES
-With a win, Piedmont would move to 3-0 vs. BSC in last two seasons
-Birmingham-Southern is looking for its first win over PC since the Panthers became a Division III member in 2007-08
-Season opener for both teams
-1st of two straight USA South foes on BSC schedule (Panthers host Huntingdon on November 20)
MATCH FACTS
Saturday will be the season opener for both teams and will be the second straight season opener against a SAA opponent for Piedmont as the Lady Lions fell by three last year at home to Centre to open up 2013-14. Each team was eliminated in the quarterfinals of their respective conference tournaments last season. Game time is set for 4:00 pm, and the match will be covered with live stats courtesy of the Office of Sports Information at Birmingham Southern.
THE COACHES
Jamie Purdy is in her 10th season as the leader of the Lady Lions holding a 154-86 record in that timespan for a winning percentage of .642. Purdy is 2-0 against BSC in her tenure with both wins against the Alabama-based program coming last season. In 12 true away games during 2013-14, Purdy led her team to an 8-4 record with three of those four losses coming in conference play.
Birmingham-Southern Coach Rena Holden enters her second year as the leader of the Panthers, a post she picked up after serving the program as an assistant for six seasons. Holden came to BSC after serving two seasons as a Division I assistant at the University of Arkansas. Holden is 0-5 against USA South members in her only year as the Head Coach at Birmingham-Southern.
SCOUTING BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN
BSC comes off a 10-16 campaign in 2013-14 that saw the Panthers post a 7-7 mark in home contests. Piedmont was one of three USA South teams to hand BSC a loss in their home arena last season as Huntingdon and Maryville also did so. The Panthers lost both of their All-Conference selections from a year ago as Elizabeth Bromirski and Kelsey Brown each were named All-SAA. Bromirski and Brown were BSC’s top two scorers last season.
SERIES RECORDS
Last season featured the first meeting between these two programs in the Purdy era at Piedmont as the Lady Lions matched up with the Panthers twice. PC won both meetings, first a four-point win at home on November 23, 2013, three weeks before taking an 87-70 win in Birmingham.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Piedmont has never played a true road opener in the Jamie Purdy era as five of the program’s season openers since 2005 have come in a neutral site contest. The Lady Lions have opened their season at home in two of the last three years. In Piedmont’s five neutral site openers, PC is 2-3.
LAST TIME OUT: METHODIST UNIVERSITY (L, 77-51)
In Piedmont’s final contest of 2013-14, the Lady Lions watched the Monarchs of Methodist University pull away in the second half of a 77-51 decision that eliminated PC from the USA South postseason in the quarterfinals. The Lady Lions shot just over 13% from three point land connecting on just two of 15 tries from distance while Methodist shot better than 45% from downtown leading to a large second half lead for the Monarchs.
Methodist went on an 18-3 run over the first eight minutes of the second half leading 51-28 with just under 12 minutes to play in the game. The Monarchs would push the lead as high as 29 points when Jalisia Campbell laid a ball up and in at the 3:47 mark of the half as Piedmont trailed at that point 68-39. The Lady Lions would not bring the lead below 24 points from that point on as Methodist had built up too much momentum from its run to begin the second half as Piedmont fell by 26.
NEXT UP FOR PIEDMONT
After the Panthers, PC will start conference play facing Mary Baldwin College on Sunday, November 23 in Cave Arena. Tip off is set for 12:00 pm, and coverage will be provided on the Mane Event Broadcasting Network.
