LAGRANGE -- In another down-to-the-wire finish, the Piedmont College men's basketball team earned a hard-fought victory 79-77 against the LaGrange Panthers on the road Wednesday night. <br />
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Chris Meeks, who has been a dominant force in the second half of the season, again rose to the occasion with his fourth double-double of the season scoring 13 points and snagging 12 rebounds.<br />
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The Lions had six players in double-figures with Meeks leading the way followed by Trae Gaines and Chase England who both tallied 12, Peyton Luken and Jessie Jenkins both scored 11 and Justin Vallejo added 10 points. Luken was 4-of-8 from the field while Jenkins was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line.<br />
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Piedmont led by as many as nine early on in the contest after Gaines hit a 3-pointer with 11:33 to go before the break, but LaGrange reeled off nine straight to erase the lead on back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers in a minute and a half of play. A pair of free throws added on to that made it an 11-0 run and gave the Panthers the advantage.<br />
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It was never more than a five point lead for either team past that point in the first half. The Lions trailed by four with just over a minute to play but Meeks made a layup and England hit a jumper with 0:02 to go to tie the game at 42 going into the half.<br />
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Piedmont made a 9-0 run early in the second half, but the Panthers clawed their way back and made it a two point game at 62-60 with just over 11:00 remaining. A minute later the Panthers would tie the game and eventually regain the lead and extend it to as many as seven points inside of 7:00 to play.<br />
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England tied the game at 75 on a made 3-pointer with just under three minutes on the clock and Brian Edwards made a layup to give the Lions the advantage. LaGrange hit a layup of their own just seven seconds later, but Jenkins sealed the game for the Lions by knocking down both free throw attempts in the final points of the game.<br />
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The Lions were again plagued by turnovers as they had 23 which the Panthers converted to just as many points and the Panthers had 13 steals in the game. Piedmont shot 50% from the floor but was outshot from beyond the arc as the Lions only managed to hit 5-of-12 against the Panthers.<br />
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With the win the Lions move back over .500 this season and are now 5-4 in conference play. Piedmont currently sits in the middle of the pack in the USA South with an identical record to Maryville. Only three teams currently sit above the Lions in the standings with five conference contests remaining.<br />
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Piedmont will again be on the road taking on Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama on Saturday. The Hawks are at the bottom of the league with a 2-6 record and only three wins all season. Tipoff on Saturday will be at 3 p.m.<br />
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