MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA -- The Piedmont College women's basketball team's struggles continued on Saturday as they dropped their third straight in conference play to Huntingdon College 85-83. <br />
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Despite a good offensive performance topping 80 points for the first time in three tries and 27 points by Mary Kate Rushton, the Lady Lions were unable to hold off the Hawks.<br />
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Rushton's 27 points marks a season high and career high for the junior who set her previous best against Berry College with 26 earlier in the season. Carly Sales also proved to be key providing 19 points off the bench going 8-of-9 from the floor and earning a team-high 6 rebounds against the Hawks.<br />
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The Hawks saw a 20+ point performance as well as Pat Pickens scored 21 for the Hawks who had four players in double figures including three starters.<br />
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The Lady Lions opened the game with the first basket and did not trail in the contest until the 15:49 mark when the Hawks took an 8-6 advantage. That was part of what would be a 10-0 run for Huntingdon to stretch open the game.<br />
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Piedmont was not about to back down however as they reeled off an 8-0 run of their own to make it a tied game at 14 all. The Hawks hit back-to-back 3's to once again reclaim the lead and stretched it to as much as an 11 point lead at 31-20 in the first half.<br />
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The Lady Lions chipped away at the lead before the break and trailed 44-36 at the half. Rushton made Piedmont's first seven points out of the break but the Lady Lions again trailed by 10 with 17:03 remaining.<br />
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The two teams matched each other shot for shot over the next five minutes of play, but Piedmont trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half. With just under 5:00 to go, Chandler Alverson hit a layup to make it a 10 point game again.<br />
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Piedmont's late rally came in the final two minutes of play as Rushton drained another 3-pointer with 1:38 to go to make it 81-75. It came down to a game of free throws in the final minute as Sales hit both her tries with 0:10 on the clock to make it 84-81 and Rushton hit a layup with a single second remaining, but time ran out on the green and gold.<br />
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The Lady Lions' record moves to 15-5 with the loss and 8-4 in conference play. Piedmont will be back on the court on Wednesday night as they take on Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Tipoff will be at 7:30 p.m.
