DEMOREST — The Piedmont College men's basketball team dropped a close call to the Emory Eagles Saturday 65-59 after a late run by the Eagles down the stretch. The Lions led by five with five minutes to play in the game but were outscored 17-6 in the final five minutes.
The first half started slow as the first bucket came almost two and half minutes into the game as the Eagles got on the board first. Emory would take a 4-0 lead but a JUSTIN VALLEJO trey would get Piedmont in gear. The Eagles would stay in front, but it was a defensive battle early with a scoreless period for two minutes midway through the quarter.
Piedmont trailed by as many as 10 with just under 5:00 to play in the first half but an ELIJAH ALSTON 3-pointer sparked a quick comeback for Piedmont as they cut the lead in half trailing by five with two to play till the break after a jumper in the paint by CHASE ENGLAND.
The lead was cut to just three as Vallejo hit a layup making it 26-23 with 1:22 to go till the half. With ten seconds remaining, TRAE GAINES got a defensive rebound looking to cut the lead even more but a missed layup created a fastbreak opportunity for Emory which they capitalized on to go up 30-25 at the break.
The Lions opened the second half on fire offensively going on a 9-0 run over the first three minutes to go up 34-30. The Eagles reclaimed the lead 37-36 with 15:02 to play but a pair of CHASE ENGLAND free throws brought PC back on top just moments later starting a 7-0 run for the Lions.
Emory had their own run scoring nine straight to make it a 48-46 lead for the Eagles with just under nine minutes remaining, but that streak ended with a CHASE ENGLAND layup to tie the contest once again. Vallejo took the lead again after faking the shot from three-point range, tucking it and draining a jumper from just inside the arc making it 50-48 with just under seven to play.
From that point on, Piedmont was outscored 17-9 as the Eagles made a late run to seal the victory. Seven of those nine points for Piedmont in the final minutes came from the free throw line and the Lions made one bucket from the field in the final seven minutes of play.
Turning Point
--The Lions were up late in the contest but in the final five minutes of play the Eagles outscored Piedmont 17-6.
Standout Performance
--JUSTIN VALLEJO ended the game with a double-double earning 14 points and 14 rebounds putting up seven of each in both halves.
Inside the Box Score
--Emory had three players score in double figures led by Christopher Avant with 20 points.
News & Notes
--This contest came two years and one day after Piedmont defeated then #6 Emory University 87-85 on December 2, 2014 marking the first time the Lions won against a ranked opponent since December 2008.
--Entering this game, Emory's two losses this season came to Covenant in their season opener and LaGrange, both USA South members.
Up Next
The Lions head to Bob Jones University on December 9 for a 7:00 tip in Greenville, South Carolina.
