JACKSON, Miss. – The Piedmont women’s basketball team pushed its winning streak to three with an 81-63 victory at Belhaven on Saturday afternoon.
Senior guard Ashley Scott continued to haunt the Blazers, pouring in a season-high 23 points to go with seven rebounds and four assists in a complete all-around performance.
Piedmont raced out to a lead early and then took control of the game with a big third quarter to move to 6-3 in CCS play.
Scott scored her 23 points in 38 minutes and was efficient as well, going 7-of-12 from the field, 4-of-7 from long range, and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. She was joined in double figures by Andelin Hill, who tallied 15 points, nine rebounds, and three assists in 32 minutes off the bench. Senior point guard Laken Stiles filled out the stat sheet with 13 points, five assists, and four rebounds, while Destiny Deez was the final Lion in double figures, adding 10 points and nine boards on 3-of-4 shooting.
The Lions raced out of the gate, scoring the first nine points of the contest, punctuated by Scott’s first three-pointer of the afternoon. Piedmont led by as many as 11 points late in the opening quarter before Belhaven answered with a 4-0 run to trail 23-15 heading into the second quarter.
Hill began to take control in the second quarter, helping the Lions build a 38-24 lead late in the period. However, the Blazers once again closed a quarter strong, with a 5-0 run to trail by single digits, 38-29, at the half.
The Lions held the Blazers at bay and put the game away with a strong finish to the third quarter, using a 9-0 run late in the period to stretch their lead to 58-39.
The fourth quarter saw Belhaven unable to cut its deficit to single digits as Piedmont closed out its second conference road win of the campaign.
Up next, the Lions return home and will host rival Maryville this Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 5 p.m.
TURNING POINT:
– Piedmont led wire-to-wire, beginning the game with a 9-0 run and never looking back.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
– In a repeat of last season, Scott delivered a season high against the Blazers, scoring 23 points to go with seven rebounds and four assists, with four three-pointers made.
– Both Andelin Hill (15 pts, 9 reb.) and Destiny Deetz (10 pts, 9 reb) finished a rebound shy of a double-double.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
– The Lions shared the wealth all afternoon, dishing out 23 assists on 28 made field goals.
– Piedmont was aggressive on the offensive end, earning 30 free throw attempts, as both Scott and Hill converted on 5-of-6 attempts.
