DEMOREST, Ga. – Piedmont women’s basketball used a second-half offensive explosion to rally past Asbury 78-73 inside Cave Arena Saturday afternoon.
In the team’s first action of the 2025 calendar year, the Lions started sluggish on the offensive end but rapidly picked up the pace with a 53-point outburst in the second half to earn the comeback victory.
Alexandria Willis led a balanced scoring attack for Piedmont, scoring 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with four rebounds and three steals. Senior frontcourt mate Andelin Hill delivered her sixth double-double of the season, with 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, while Ashley Scott added 11 points and three steals.
Lions earn a comeback victory over Asbury 78-73 in thrilling fashion!
Hear from leading scorer Alexandria Willis! pic.twitter.com/vJ1gg7PoIx
— Piedmont WBB (@PiedmontWBB) January 4, 2025
Junior guard Brooklyn Begley provided a spark off the bench, connecting on 3-of-6 from downtown for nine points in the contest.
After some back-and-forth to open the game, the Eagles seized control with an 8-0 run late in the opening quarter and took a 16-13 lead into the second quarter.
Asbury was able to push its lead to as many as 10 points in the second quarter, but a Willis layup in the final minute of the first half cut the Piedmont deficit to 30-25 going to the break.
Both offenses picked up the pace in the third quarter, but the Lions became unstoppable with a 31-point quarter. Piedmont shot 11-of-15 from the field (73.3%) and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line.
Heading to the final 10 minutes knotted at 56 apiece, the Eagles drained a three-pointer on their opening possession to jump ahead by three. However, the Lions were undeterred, taking a 64-61 lead thanks to back-to-back layups by Willis. But the Eagles were not done either, responding with a run of their own and retaking the lead on a three-pointer with 2:36 left at 72-69.
From there, the Lions regained control, finishing the game on a 9-1 run over the final 1:55 as Begley’s three-pointer tied it at 72 apiece and then after an Asbury free throw gave them back the lead, Willis stepped in front of a pass from Asbury and took it coast-to-coast for the eventual game-winning layup with 42 seconds left.
In the final seconds, both Scott and Nae-Nae Eades made clutch free throws to seal the win for the Lions.
Up next, Piedmont will welcome CCS rival Huntingdon to Cave Arena this Friday, January 10 at 4 p.m.
TURNING POINT:
– Trailing by one in the final minute, Willis turned defense into offense with a steal and layup to lift the Lions to victory.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
– Willis added 16 points, four rebounds, and three steals, one of which turned into the game-winner.
– Hill added 10 points but a career-best 15 rebounds in the victory.
– Begley added nine points off the bench and has her two highest scoring games of the season in CCS play.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
– It was a back-and-forth battle with 12 lead changes overall.
– Piedmont held a 36-20 edge in points in the paint.
